LoZ Light and Darkness: the Ganondorf Conflict
by Blackshadow999
Summary: The Golden Trio Cycle, the battle over the Triforce has played out many times, but most don't know the whole story. During the era with the Hero of Time, only he is mentioned, but there were others that were involved, this is the whole story to what is known as the Ganondorf Conflict.
1. Darkness Looming

**A/n**

**This is an idea have have worked on off an on for more than a year. And I will stated that I am a big Legend of Zelda fan at heart as I've played all of them and love the series. That in mind, I don't own any of the characters from the series as much as I would like to, but I admit I could not do them justice as their creators do. However, where I know the idea has been done, I thought I would try to write a story with another working with Link. Understand that should I write stories for other Zelda games, they will stand alone for the time being, though follow a loose timeline of my imagination. This story will involve Ocarina of Time, but won't follow canon completely, if that's what you want, sorry this isn't for you.**

Chapter 1: Darkness Looming

In the vast deep forest on the edge of the land called Hyrule, there stood a tree known as the Great Deku Tree. It had served as the guardian deity as by the decree of the Goddesses that created the land. Not only did the Deku Tree serve as a guardian and defender to Hyrule preventing any who wished to take the land for themselves, but also a figure that watched over the inhabitance of the forest itself. Those that lived in the forest were as children, they were called the Kokiri, living in peace each with their own guardian fairy.

However, there are two in here in these woods that have no fairies…

Both of the two without fairies were being haunted by nightmares that only those who were sensitive to the air that forces of evil left in their wake. One of those boys was named Link and the other was called Marth. Neither minded that they were different from those around them by not having fairies. However, the two boys stood out in another way from the Kokiri notably with their close friendship they had with one another.

Marth found himself out in a field at night, the rain was pouring down and an ominous feeling in the air. He couldn't tell where this field was, for he hadn't seen it before, not even from the 'exploration' he had done that others say he shouldn't do. Link was a short distance away from him, looking ahead of where they were currently. Before Marth could take in any more of the scenery, there came a snort to his right. He turned and found himself looking at a dark looking horse with a man on its back. The man simply raised his hand and sent something at Marth before everything around him vanished.

Marth jerked awake and sat up in his bed, trying to process what he had just dreamed about. He ended out looking at the mirror hung next to his bed and stared at his reflection. His short grey hair was messy from tossing and turning in his sleep. Marth's green eyes also showed signs of tiredness but really the effects of the nightmare he had been having. He was or moderate size, comparable to other Kokiri in the village, if not on the slightly taller end of the spectrum. Images from the nightmare were fading, but the feelings from the dream didn't leave Marth. He shook his head, laid back down, rolled over and went back to sleep, not worrying about whatever the nightmare had been about for the time being. He would think about it later and try and figure what the nightmare meant as it didn't feel like a normal dream.

The morning began dawning, when some in the forest stirred, the first as usual was the Great Deku Tree. The guardian of the Kokiri Forest noticed that his condition was worse than the day previous and was nearing his end. The Great Deku Tree knew all living things had an end, even himself, but there were still things that needed to be done before his passing. "Navi… Luka… where art thee both? Come hither," called the Great Deku Tree.

At first, there was no visible reaction to the summoning, yet after half a minute, two points of light were seen approaching the huge tree. To the naked eye, both summoned fairies appeared to be just balls of light with wings. The fairy on the right, had a glow surrounding it like all fairies did and its glow was light green. And on closer inspection, the fairy looked like a small person with pointed ears and a skin color that closely matched their ambient glow. The light green fairy like all fairies had no need and saw no reason for clothing. The female fairy had violet-colored eyes and aqua green hair that fell to her waist both in the front and back. There were also white markings that most would see as tribal markings of some sort, on the right side of her body from her neck to her right foot. The light green fairy's name was Luka and she had no Kokiri partner at this time.

The fairy on the left was also a female and had a blue glow, and her wings were a lighter blue. Her hair was much darker blue than her skin and like Luka, its length was to her waist in the back, but in the front, it went down to the middle of her upper torso. Also, like her companion Luka, the blue fairy had white "tribal" markings, yet it was down the left side rather than the right. The blue fairy's name was Navi and she didn't have a Kokiri partner, the same as her companion Luka. Luka and Navi were as close as sisters and acted like it too do most things together. Both came to float in front of the Great Deku Tree, "We're here Great Deku Tree," greeted Navi.

"Yes, what is it that you need from us Great Deku Tree," asked Luka.

"Oh fairies Navi and Luka, listen to my words. Evil is coming, you no doubt sense it as well. It is descending upon this realm bringing with it darkness more terrible than had been seen in a long time. Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule," stated the Great Deku Tree.

Luka and Navi looked at each other with worried expressions on both their faces. They had been talking to one another about the change in both of their dreams as of late off and on during the last few days. It had been Luka that had suggested that evil could be coming the day before yesterday, but neither had wished to believe that was the reason. Nonetheless, if the Great Deku Tree said that evil was coming, then there was little reason to dispute the point.

"For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life has stood as a barrier to deter outsiders and helping maintain the order of the world," the Great Deku Tree continued.

Both fairies were paying apt attention for this sounded like a crisis in the making! The Great Deku Tree quickly finished his explanation, "But before this tremendous evil, even my power is as nothing. The time has arrived for the two boys without fairies to set out on their journey. Both youths have a destiny in leading Hyrule to the path of justice and truth."

Luka's mouth fell open and Navi was gaping, at hearing that whatever evil was coming was stronger than the Great Deku Tree. It was scary to imagine such an evil, then what potential damage it could do. Then to be told, that the two boys that lived in the forest that were different from all the other Kokiri were to be the ones that would go against the coming evil, it was hard to swallow. Sure the one by the name of Link was fine, kind and good-mannered though he could be stubborn sometimes. Yet the other one whose name was Marth was a different story than Link and had made that clear before now. Marth wasn't badly behaved, but he had shown that he didn't always follow the rules and didn't see a problem with ignoring said rules if they didn't matter to him. Both Navi and Luka knew who Link and Marth were, they had watched the two before now and had differing thoughts about both boys.

The Great Deku Tree spoke to the two fairies again, regaining their attention, "Luka, Navi… go now! Find our young friends and guide them to me, I have little time left. The fate of the forest, nay, the world depends on thee both, be swift."

Navi and Luka glanced at one another once more, before they flew in the direction of the village where the Kokiri lived. Navi said she would go fetch Link, which left Luka to go get Marth, both would hopeful be simple enough find. Both Luka and Navi received greetings as they flew by on their way to the east side of the village. On that side, there was the Twin's house, followed by Saria's place and at the far end, was the Know-it-all Brother's house. Between Saria's and the brother's were two houses, almost one with two floors, but not quite. There was one tree base that "grew" into the other on the left side and was like a treehouse. The place on the ground was circular and belonged to Marth, while the treehouse with a ladder was Link's.

Luka zoomed into the open window in the ground level house, whereas Navi flew into the treehouse above and to the left. Once Luka was inside the place, she honestly felt shocked at seeing the interior living space that belonged to Marth. She had watched the boy several times and he had made it clear, any game or contest he participated in he did with the intent to win. That victory would be obtained by whatever way needed and Marth had no issue with getting dirty at all. He wouldn't harm anyone else, but if experiencing a little humiliation could bring a win, Marth would do so. That in mind, Marth didn't show himself to be concerned with cleanliness much if at all before.

Yet, his house was one of the cleaner if not the cleanest Kokiri domicile Luka had seen and she'd seen most if not all of them in the forest. Everything had its place, all objects sat in a spot that was easy to see that it did belong. The bed was neatly made, there was no dust at all and aside from some odd objects which Luka couldn't say what they were, this room looked more organized than Luka had viewed before. Luka wouldn't have thought Marth to be like this, he didn't appear like the organized type and yet here was indisputable proof to the contrary. However, the boy himself was obviously not at his home right now, but the question as to where he could be this early came to Luka's mind.

Luka left Marth's house the way she had come in and scanned around for the boy she was here to take to the Great Deku Tree. The sound of Navi yelling at Link to wake up did cause Luka to snicker an amount though. Link had made it plain that he was a heavy sleeper before now, and that's why Luka volunteered to go fetch Marth, she had thought it would be easy. So, Luka flew higher, looking for the boy she was searching for, Marth had to be somewhere after all. Nevertheless, it came as a surprise for Luka when she spotted Marth quietly making a distance from the path that led into the Lost Woods. He was wearing a neutral green tunic, but his close to knee-length shorts were black. What was the most noticeable was the customary black and white striped scarf that the boy always seemed to have around his neck.

Now the reason it was unusual for any to be coming from the direction that went into the forest was the idea was discouraged and was pretty much forbidden. Oh, Marth had been caught trying to go towards the Lost Woods path before and he had been chastised and warned afterward. But by the look of it, Marth went into the woods even after all of that and he was just being stealthy about his activities now. Luka hovered over to where Marth was stealthily sneaking away from the Lost Woods, "Creep around quietly in the morning, do you do this often Marth," posed Luka.

Marth's head snapped up and locked onto Luka, "Wha-" exclaimed Marth, "who are you, and what are you talking about creeping around? I'm not doing anything dangerous to anyone, not even me," Marth replied firmly and defensively.

Luka moved closer until she was a foot in front of Marth's face, and the boy raised one of his hands. Luka smiled and landed on Marth's open palm, "My name is Luka, and I am to be your partner going forward," Luka said introducing herself.

Marth stared at the fairy for a long moment, "Okay Luka, don't doubt that you're nice and everything, but what makes you think I need a fairy partner? Sure, everyone else around here other than Link and I have them, but my friend and I get along fine without one." Marth was seriously wondering who would set up something as foolish as this. One Kokiri did come to mind as he always made trouble from Marth and Link. "So, uh Luka, who put you up to this?" Marth paused and sighed already guessing the answer, "Wait, don't tell me, it was Mido, wasn't it? He would set up something like this just to have a laugh. I swear, he needs a lesson about how to treat others right."

Luka became irritated as the Great Deku Tree had been specific that time was of the essence. "No, I'm here because the Great Deku Tree asked me to come and bring you to him," she said.

Marth blinked as what Luke said sunk in, "The Great Deku Tree? Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to seem like I was suspecting anything of you or something. It's just Mido has pulled things on Link and me," Marth hesitated a moment, "me more than Link to get a reaction from us and others to laugh at one or both of us."

Luka had witnessed a few of the things that the Kokiri Mido had done to Marth and Link, which neither deserved. Yes, the two were different but that didn't mean they should be teased or shunned like they sometimes were. So, she floated to be in front of Marth's eyes, "Like I said, I was sent by the Great Deku Tree to get and bring you to him. He has things he wants to talk to you and Link about," Luka stated.

Marth nodded and stopped questioning the fairy instead telling Luka to lead the way. She flew ahead of Marth and led him towards the corridor that went to the Great Deku Tree. But when the pair got close, Luka felt herself being grabbed and pulled back suddenly and after a moment, she realized she was being held in Marth's hands. The next thing she knew, Marth opened his hands and let her hover, "Sorry about grabbing you, but we're not going to get through to the Great Deku Tree as things are right now," Marth said quietly.

Luka stared at the boy, "And why is that," she asked feeling a tad annoyed.

Fairies by nature didn't like to be touched and permission was rarely given to do so at all. Marth pointed at the entrance to the corridor and when Luka looked to see what Marth was referring to, she saw that there was a Kokiri that hadn't been there before. The boy was a little taller than average for Kokiri. He had short orange hair and blue eyes. He was in the sleeveless green tunic, the green shorts and green hat that most Kokiri wore. "The reason that I won't get through the corridor to the Great Deku Tree would be that Mido is guarding it. Even if you're with me, he wouldn't let me through as he doesn't like me and thinks I should be thrown into the Lost Woods and left there," Marth explained to Luka.

Be that as it may, Luka knew that she was tasked to get Marth to the Great Deku Tree and she would do just that. She didn't know how she would accomplish it, but Luka was determined to not fail the Great Deku Tree! Luka glanced back at Marth and saw that he was thinking, "So then, how can you get passed Mido," Luka asked.

A hand went to Marth's chin as he thought of a solution to the standing problem. Mido wouldn't agree willingly, Marth knew that as a fact with how often they butted heads. However, if he and Link could prove Mido wrong, then Marth wouldn't say no. It would be nice as it always was to shut up Mido and get him to go away for a while. Then Marth had an idea that just might get the effect he wanted, which got him to snap his finger, "I have an idea, but I would need two items from my place first," Marth replied.

Without waiting for Luka to say anything Marth jogged off back towards his place leaving Luka to fly after him. She was rather curious about what the boy had in mind that could get the bossiest Kokiri she had ever been around in the forest. Marth had shown himself to be creative in how he solved a problem and that had always been interesting to watch for Luka. The boy had done things that were unexpected often enough to surprise all around here and that happened rarely. She had the feeling that he was about to do such again, but she couldn't begin to guess how he would.

Marth slid around the corner that led down the way to his and Link's houses and kept going. Luka looked ahead and assumed that since she saw nothing of Navi, her friend hadn't gotten Link up and out of his bed yet. But Luka came to a stop just after she saw that Marth had come to a halt. Marth had stopped on his way to his house as there was a girl in front of Link and his house. The girl was shorter than Marth, had green hair and blue eyes along with her pointy ears. She was wearing the usual simple clothing consisting of a green shirt with her arms covered by sleeves of a darker green, and a pair of green shorts. Her legs were covered by a pair of equally green colored boots. The girl's name was Saria and she was friends with Link and Marth, more than any other Kokiri in the forest.

Saria turned at the sound of Marth's boots scraping the ground as he skidded to a stop a short distance from where she stood. "Oh hey Saria, it's a good morning isn't it," Marth greeted.

Saria nodded, "Yes, it is Marth, I see you are up bright and early as you usually are, anything happen already with you this morning," she asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary that I can think of comes to mind," Marth replied shaking his head. "So, take it you're here to wake up Link? I was going to get to do that in the next few minutes, he is a sleepyhead after all." Marth paused for a moment, "And I do always like a challenge and waking him up can be one sometimes."

Saria nodded again, "Indeed Link can be a heavy sleeper," she began, but then Saria spotted Luka and her eyes widened. "Marth, is that a fairy? Has a fairy come to you at last?!"

Marth nodded his head up and down slowly, not sure what to expect from one of the few around here that he considered one of the few friends that he had. She had always reacted differently than Marth could predict as he could with others he was around. Saria smiled wide and rushed forward and embraced Marth, laughing happily as she did so, "At last, a fairy has come to you Marth! This is so wonderful for you," Saria exclaimed jumping up and down as she cried aloud with joy for Marth.

While Saria was expressing her joy for Marth, her fairy companion who was named Nina, flew over to where Luka was observing. "So Luka, you get to have a partner finally," Nina said, before looking at Marth, "Though I'm kind of surprised that you were paired with Marth."

Luka shrugged, "Well, I have no issue with being his partner, I prefer to work with him rather than Link myself," she replied.

Nina hummed in understanding, but then she had a double-take at what was implied by what Luka said. "Wait, does that mean that Link has a fairy now too," she asked.

Luka nodded, "Yes, Navi will be Link's partner," Luka replied.

Saria managed to calm herself down a bit by the time the fairies had their conversation, "Why are you two being so loud this early," asked a boy from above both Saria and Marth.

Both Saria and Marth looked up to the platform that was the porch for the second level house and saw a boy. He was about the same height as Marth, and he had blonde hair, along with blue eyes. He was wearing a green tunic and cap with boots on his feet, as he looked down at both Saria and Marth. Marth put his hands on his hips, "About time you wake up sleepy head, you're snoozing the day away you know my friend. Plus, I see you got a fairy partner like I did today," Marth greeted.

Then Marth slipped into his house as Saria began to excitedly talk to Link. Luka following him, still curious what the boy had in mind for a plan to get passed Mido. When she got inside, she saw Marth rummaging around in a corner, and as she watched Marth brought out what looked like a sword in a sheath attached to a belt. He set the weapon aside and kept digging for something, Where Marth had gotten the sword, Luka had no idea or guess, he could have found it in the lost woods for all she knew. The other object he brought out from somewhere she couldn't see was a rough wooden shield along with a shoulder to hip belt.

After setting the shield down, Marth grabbed the sword and pulled it out looking it over. The sword looked to be made up of one long blade with a circular curve at the end and a second small blade opposite of the long one. The hilt was separated by a round section of metal, it was quite an odd-looking blade. The shield was a similar shape to the Kokiri's Deku shield, but Luka guessed it hadn't been bought but hand made by Marth.

How Marth had kept the fact that he had these objects from everyone else, Luka couldn't begin to guess. The more Luka learned about Marth the more curious she became about the boy as he had lots of secrets apparently. Marth put on the belt with the sword around his hips before slinging the shoulder belt on and hanging the shield over his back, then he headed back outside.

Saria was talking to Link when Luka followed Marth, and shortly after Marth was outside again, Saria saw him again. "It's so wonderful that fairies have finally come to you both," she exclaimed.

Link nodded slowly, "I guess so," he replied.

Marth shrugged, "Seems to be that way Saria, thanks for being one of the few that don't think that Link and I are just odd."

"You two are unique, but moving forward," started Navi, "you two need to come with us as the Great Deku Tree wants to see you both."

"Wait, you have both been called to meet with the Great Deku Tree? It's quite an honor to be called for that," remarked Saria. "I'll wait for both of you here, so go and see the Great Deku Tree."

Marth cleared his throat, "Honor that it is Saria, as things stand right now, I would doubt Mido would agree and I caught sight of him blocking the path to the Great Deku Tree. I would be shocked and wonder a great deal were he to let Link or me through, so I promise you he won't," he iterated.

Saria frowned, "Why does Mido have to be so stubborn?! He has always had something against both of you," she said.

"But if the Great Deku Tree has called for Marth and me, then he will just have to move," Link replied.

Marth smiled slightly and nodded, "I couldn't agree more my friend and, I have an idea of how to do just that in a way that Mido will have to shut up about." Marth gestured for Link to come closer and when he had, Marth began whispering the details of his idea to Link.

A few minutes passed by when Marth had explained his plan to Link and the friends agreed that Marth's idea could work. Link went off to acquire the needed items for his part of Marth's plan, while Marth occupied his time as he waited. Half an hour went by before Link met back up with Marth, a Deku Shield on his back along with the Kokiri sword in a sheath. The two then headed towards the path that led to the Great Deku Tree and approached Mido. The boy stuck out a hand, "Hold it right there fairy-less, you don't get past here, so go away," he said.

Marth exhaled heavily, "Really Mr. high and mighty Mido, and who left you in charge, because last time I checked the Great Deku Tree is the one that says what goes and not you," he replied.

"Yeah," agreed Link, "For once, do the smart thing and just move aside."

Mido harrumphed at both what Link and Marth said, "Fairy-less like you two have no reason to see the Great Deku Tree," he replied simply. "Besides, you lack equipment for any task the Great Deku Tree would give to anyone."

"Really," posed Marth, "then take a good look Mr. Bossy," he said while showing the hilt of his sword and his shield, and Link did the same thing.

Mido glared at the two, but his glare changed over to shock at what he saw, "Wait, you both have swords and shields?!" He paused and gained an expression of frustration, "Good grief, why is it you two that have the favor of the Great Deku Tree and Saria," Mido muttered as he waltzed off.

Link and Marth continued forward to meet with the Great Deku Tree to learn why they were being called for. The corridor that led to the Great Deku Tree had a few Deku Babas which had blue heads with pink mouths. They were a kind of plant that was vicious and hid until a prey would come close enough for them to strike. Link and Marth dealt with them deftly and collected the items left by them as they went.

At the other end of the corridor, Link and Marth came out into a grove where the Great Deku Tree was. The tree was the largest in the forest itself and was the only one that could speak as it was a guardian spirit of the land and forest. Both Navi and Luka flew forward towards the guardian of the forest, "Great Deku Tree, we're back," announced Navi.

"And we brought both of them," added Luka.

Marth and Link were walking forward slowly, taking in their surroundings as they went. They had never met with the Great Deku Tree face to face, it was such a rare thing to happen for any Kokiri. And for them who didn't have fairies before today to be called for was even weirder and neither could come up with a reason this was happening. They had chatted about the nightmares they had been having recently with one another, but no one else. Both Link and Marth stuck out enough and so they kept the nightmares occurring to themselves.

"Oh, Navi, Luka, thou hast returned," replied the Great Deku Tree. Both Link and Marth looked to the Great Deku Tree, the protector and in many ways the "father" of the Kokiri. "Link and Marth, thou have both come, I ask thee to listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree am about to tell thee both." Neither said anything, merely looked at the other and then simply nodded for the Deku Tree to go on. "Thy slumbers these past moons must have been restless and full of nightmares, have they not."

The last sentence of the Great Deku Tree said caught Marth and Link by surprise as no one should know about those. The two boys made sure that others wouldn't listen to the conversation about the nightmares that had been coming lately. "As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it," the tree iterated.

There was a pause and both boys had tensed a bit at being told that they were sensitive to the air evil left behind. The Great Deku Tree continued, "Verily, thou both hast felt it."

Link didn't know what to say, but he was normally an individual of few words, letting his actions speak for him more often. However, Marth took a step forward, "I don't know how you know about the nightmares, Link and I haven't told anyone about them. But since you bring them up, what difference does us having them make," he challenged.

"The ability to feel what evil brings sets you both apart, yet it need not be in a horrible way," the Great Deku Tree answered. "Yet now Link and Marth, the time has come to test thy courage and determination."

The two fairies were watching this exchange with interest as the Great Deku Tree hadn't gone into much detail about the evil that was coming. They had been in a bit of shock with Marth challenging the Great Deku Tree as he had. Nonetheless, the boy had made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would speak his mind when he felt the need to. "I have been cursed… and its seed still is in me and I need thee both to break the curse with that wisdom and courage," the Great Deku Tree stated. "Dost thee have the courage enough to undertake this task?"

Marth and Link glanced at each other but said nothing vocally. They had been friends as long as either could remember and whether going into trouble, work or game, they stood together. So they faced forward and nodded strongly, Marth speaking first, "I can't say I know anything about curses or how to undo them, but if you think we can Great Deku Tree, I know I'm willing to give it my all."

Link took up where Marth left off without missing a beat, "And if Marth is going, then so am I. If there is a way to remove the curse on you Great Deku Tree, then we will find it," he said firmly.

Both Navi and Luka had to admit respect with the two boys accepting the request of the Great Deku Tree. Curses by nature were usually very difficult to undo or remove and without magic of some sort or removing the source of it. And removing the source of a curse tended to require defeating a monster, at least that's what most stories would have the masses believe. Then what did these boys know about fighting at there ages? They would have their work cut out for them and that was an understatement in itself and both fairies knew that.

"Then enter, brave Link, determined Marth, and thee both as well Navi and Luka," the Great Deku Tree kept going. That caught the attention of the fairies, "Navi and Luka, thou must aid your partners in what they do, teach them what will assist them on this journey."

It had been a while since either Luka or Navi had a partner, it wouldn't do if they lost them the same day they got them. So, the fairies flew to their partners, Luka to Marth and Navi to Link and stuck next to them. "Link, Marth, heed the wisdom that Navi and Luka have, they are with thee to aid you in this task. Now go and do your utmost to complete your task," the Deku Tree finished.

With the task set by the Great Deku Tree, Link and Marth walked forward and entered the tree and came to a stop shortly after entering along with their fairies doing the same. The two boys could only stare for a long moment as neither had imagined that what they were seeing would be what the inside of the Great Deku Tree would look like. The inside was hollow and had what appeared to be levels and vines that grew on the walls. Also, there looked to be odd-looking spiders all over the walls, which Marth nor Link had ever seen before. If either were honest, the two boys had never thought they would end out doing anything like they were, yet here they were.

In the center of the trunk area, there was what looked like a thick spider web covering a hole to an area below. Above the boys were two tiers that were open in the middle and had hallways going off to other places. The other thing that both Link and Marth noticed was there were monsters scattered all around including Deku Babas and small Skulltula on the walls. And though both boys had weapons to work with, creatures attacking them wasn't a normal occurrence.

The two after a moment moved forward at the same time, Marth having a hand go to the hilt of his sword while Link was scanning around carefully. Neither said a word, but the two had been friends for long enough that none were needed in this. Yet as they approached one of the vine-covered walls, a Deku Baba popped up in front of them. Link and Marth took out their swords and shields, and moments later the plant lunged at Link who blocked with his shield.

Marth shuffled forward to see if he could find an opening to finish the baba by cutting its stem. But the plant swung its head back and forced Marth to back off and defend himself. Link rushed forward to attack the Baba but missed yet drew the plant's attention away from Marth. And while the Baba's attention was on Link Marth rolled forward and slashed at the plant's stem and cut it clean through. The Baba vanish in a puff of black smoke and left in its place were some Deku nuts. Marth and Link glanced at each other, "That was different," Marth remarked, "I've never seen a Baba vanish like that before."

Link shook his head, "I thought they fell to the ground like those in the corridor to the Great Deku Tree, not disappear in black smoke," he said.

Marth nodded slowly, "That's what I've always seen during my strolls in the Lost Woods," Marth replied.

Link looked at his friend as Marth had been told several times before not to go into the Lost Woods. Yet by what he had just said, Marth still traveled into the Lost Woods and just did it in a way that he didn't get caught doing. Link gave a knowing look to Marth, "You know none of us are supposed to go in there," he said sternly.

Marth shrugged, "And that's why I don't say anything about my strolls and don't get caught going in or out of the woods. It's seriously not as dangerous as the other claim it is, I've figured that out during my walks thank you."

Link just sighed, "Your habit of doing what you want and ignoring warnings of others is going to catch up with you someday Marth," he remarked.

Marth snorted, "Hasn't yet, but I'll tell you when it happens if it ever does."

"Hey listen," started Navi, "this task you have been given in no joking matter."

Luka floated by her friend, "No, it most certainly is not. Curses by nature are dangerous and the seed that the Great Deku Tree mentioned is likely some sort of monster. That is what stories say tends to keep a curse going when cast and guards it."

Marth shrugged slightly, "So there is a nasty monster somewhere around here," he replied, "Now that you have informed us, we can be on guard for the creature while we go."

"I'm more concerned about the creatures that will be attacking us as we go more than the monster we'll encounter later for the moment," Link remarked.

Marth nodded, "And rightly so Link, the creatures are more an immediate threat to us than this monster Luka and Navi are referring to."

The two picked up the Deku nuts and then moved to the vines on the wall and began climbing upward. The monsters that Link and Marth came across they handled working together and kept exploring the inside of the Great Deku Tree. As they explored the rooms, they found at the corridors that branched off, they did find a map of the place and a compass that oddly showed locations on the map of items and a larger monster. That the monster which if Luka and Navi were right, was the source of the curse killing the Great Deku Tree from the inside was at the bottom among the roots. The creatures the boys dealt with around the tree were more Deku babas and the spider-link creatures known as a Skulltula. The other objects that Link and Marth found which was at the top tier was a pair of slingshots that each took one. However, with the exploration done, they were left to wonder how to get down to the levels the roots were at. The web that had made by skulltulas was too tough for anything they had to use even their swords couldn't cut through the sticky stuff effectively.

"So, anyone have an idea where to go from here," asked Navi to no one in particular.

Link shrugged having no clue and nor did Luka have a suggestion, Marth was at the edge of the level looking down thinking. Thus far, everything that Link or Marth had tried to get past the web had not worked. Yet, as Marth looked down, the point that stretching it hadn't been attempted all that much. And from his current height, that would stretch the web pretty hard from what Marth would guess. And though Marth himself had little issue with heights themselves, jumping from said heights was uncomfortable for him. Nonetheless, if jumping into the web would make a way forward, then it needed to be done and Marth was willing to do it. Marth could still hear the chattering behind him going, but he ignored it and took a few steps back and looked forward to the edge he was about to jump off of.

Luka had turned to see if Marth was still thinking and just saying nothing, but she caught a glimpse of him looking towards the edge before he began running towards it. She was unable to use her voice other than uttering his name as she witnessed him leap off the high tier they were on and plummet down to the floor below. "Marth," she called as she raced over to the edge.

Link and Navi snapped their head to Luka who had flown to the edge and was gazing down. And when they got there, they saw the Skulltula web stretching with Marth hitting it and then break letting him through it and down the hole it had covered. Link and the two fairies raced down to the ground level fearing Marth may be hurt from the long fall he had done.

At the same time, Marth broke the surface of the water he had landed in after breaking through the Skulltula web. The water was lukewarm, so he was just damp and not cold thankfully, but Marth wanted to get out of the water. He looked around and found that there were two basic height levels other than the water he was in. One wouldn't be reached from where Marth was and the other, he could and there was a door behind some more Skulltula webbing. However, with a torch nearby that webbing shouldn't be a problem as Skulltula webbing was flammable by what Marth learned with his time in the Lost Woods. So, Marth swam over to the nearest place above water and hoisted himself out of the water.

Meanwhile, Link was working on getting down to ground level with Navi staying with him. Luka didn't hesitate and flew right down the hole that led to the roots of the tree to look for Marth. She became frustrated when she found Marth getting out of the water than he no doubt landed in brushing himself off and wringing out some of his clothes like he did nothing wrong. The fairy's light color changed by gaining a red-orange tint with her change in emotions. She then got up right in front of Marth's face, "What were you thinking," Luka demanded.

Marth blinked, then shrugged, "Well, the webbing wouldn't be cut and ripped in any way that we tried, so jumping into sounded like a fair way to attempt to get past it," he said as if it was a logical and reasonable explanation.

Luka held in the scream of frustration that wanted to escape from her at the foolishness of this boy that was her partner. She had thought she would have it easier or at least simpler than Navi would with Link, but the recent display showed that Marth could be very reckless. So instead of blowing up at Marth, Luka took calming breaths and reined in her frustration of the boy. "Could you please try and not do things that could do you serious harm Marth," she asked. "I would rather not lose a partner the same day I got him."

Marth just gave the fairy a small smile, "I'll do my best, but no promises."

The conversation came to an end as Link dropped down into the water with a splash. Marth looked over at his friend now floating in the water, "Nice to see you down here Link, now maybe we can keep going," he said.

Link swam to where Marth was and got out of the water and the two talked about what to do next. The door behind the Skulltula web seemed to be the only way forward from where they were. So, Marth leaped to a place where the water was shallow and then to the side where the door and Skulltula web was. Just as Marth reached the other side, Link lit a Deku stick by one of the nearby torches. Link tossed the stick to Marth and he caught it before going to the Skulltula webbing and began burning it away. At the same time, Link followed the path that Marth took and got over to the side with the door that Marth was on.

The two went through the door found themselves in a circular room with a solitary plant creature known as a Deku Shrub. The Deku Shrub tended to be a tad half the height of an average adult Hylian. And as the "Shrub" part of their name implies, they are made of wood and leaves as other plants are. The feature that is one of their defining ones is their glowing red eyes one sees when they pop out of their nests they have made. They also are known for spitting bubbles or nuts out of their mouths at others, sometimes by accident according to them.

When the shrub came up Marth and Link had their shields and swords out and ready to use. The Deku shrub aimed at Link and shot a nut at him, which Link blocked with his shield and sent it back to the shrub. And while Link kept the attention of the Deku shrub, Marth closed the distance to be nearby when the nut hit the shrub. So, when it popped out of its nest Marth slashed at it and the shrub stopped bouncing, "Please have mercy on me," it pled, "If you do, then I'll tell you a secret!"

Link and Marth looked at each other for a moment then back at the Deku shrub. Marth wasn't so sure that this shrub was to be listened to, it had attacked them after all. But any information was better than what they had already for this place and neither he or Link knew what lay ahead. "Alright," said Marth, "what is this secret you have shrub?"

Link came over to where Marth was standing wondering what this creature could tell them about this place. The creatures that Marth and he had encountered already hadn't been friendly or even talkative thus far. This 'bush' could just as easily lie to them and try to get them into something even worse. Still, Link nodded, "Yes, what can you tell us," he asked.

The shrub twisted from side to side as it spoke, "You will encounter my brothers further inside this place, and you will not beat them in the way you did me." The shrub paused, "Unless you beat them in the right order, that order is two, three, one. Remember twenty-three is number one and you'll be able to best my brothers and meet Queen Gohma." The shrub bounced around, "Oh, I have sold out my kin, forgive me my brothers," it cried as it went off.

The things that the shrub had said hadn't made the most sense to Link and so he looked at Marth, "Okay, did that make much sense to you," he asked his friend.

Marth shrugged his shoulders, "Other than there being other Deku shrubs somewhere and there being an order to beat them in, not much."

The two moved to the next room which contained a pool of water in the middle and a rotating spiked metal bar in the center. There was a platform moving from one side to the other but there was not enough room for either boy to under the bar without harm. They both looked around for options to work with to progress forward. Marth jabbed an elbow into Link after spotting a pressure switch below the surface of the water. Link nodded, and then jumped into the water and dove under and activated the switch. The water level lowered a moment later and Marth didn't hesitate just jumped onto the moving platform while Link was making his way back up to the ground-level of the room.

Marth leaped up to the other side and scrambled up to the ground and at the same time Link had jumped to the platform to go across under the rotating bar. However, the water level began rising just as Link went under it. Marth spun around and saw Link was in a bad place and situation, so he shot out a hand for Link. Link jumped towards the offered hand and caught it, Marth grabbed Link's arm with both hands and pulled his friend up to the ground he was on.

Both boys were breathing hard with the effort made to get across the room without injury which had turned out to be harder than the first view suggested. Navi and Luka stared in a bit of surprise at the way their two partners had managed to get past what dangers were in front of them so far. The inside of the Great Deku Tree had turned out to be much more dangerous than any expectations had guessed. Yet these two boys were overcoming challenges that others would not. And both fairies had to admit, the Great Deku Tree had seen something in Link and Marth that others weren't looking at or didn't even know were there.

Marth was up first and looked to the door that still had iron bars over it to prevent moving forward from the room. "Well, there has to be something else that will get this door to be unbarred somewhere in this room I guess," Marth commented.

Link got to his feet and began glancing around for something out of the ordinary… well, that stood out from the rest. This morning, Link had never thought that he or Marth would be doing anything like this, yet here they were. They had been learning how to use their swords that they had found along with shields they had. Although, Marth could have and likely did have the sword before today if Link were to guess. Where his friend had obtained that sword, his only guess was somewhere in the Lost Woods that he traveled into often enough. Then Marth and he had fought creatures that had tried hurting them and they had forced them to back off. Granted, Link knew that he and Marth worked well together in whatever they did, be it games or work of some sort. The trust that was between them was strong and most of the time words weren't needed to know what needed to be done and what the other would do. Oddly, as Link thought about it, words had never really been needed between him and Marth, it was always like that. Link couldn't really remember when their friendship had begun, it had always been there even in their younger days.

Link was brought out of his thoughts when he spotted a gold diamond-shaped plate that had what looked like an eye on it in the center. Link tapped Marth's shoulder and then pointed at the plate, which Marth stared at for a moment. Link took his slingshot out and fired a seed at the plate wondering what would happen. As he and Marth watched, the "eye" on the plate closed and then the next moment, the iron bars retracted up leaving the door accessible. Both Marth and Link glanced at the other for a moment and gave the normal sign of them silently saying "whatever" which came in the form of a shrugged. The two opened the door and moved forward and continued forward in their task.

Luka and Navi followed the boys still somewhat shocked with the two that were their partners. The scene that they had just witnessed was a prime example of just what the two boys were showing they could do. The "eye plate" wasn't what shocked them, it was the interaction between Link and Marth that was so unusual to the fairies. Marth had said one line and that was the only words said during the whole scene in the last room. The silent communication between the two showed that their friendship was quite different than other relationships the Kokiri had with one another. There was clearly a bond of trust between Link and Marth that was deep and to the point the two would do anything for the other that they needed. And what was stranger, the things that the two did for one another appeared to be completely natural for them both. Link and Marth were definitely proving they were a unique pair to the fairies and they didn't know how to explain what they were seeing.

The next room was not exactly circular, but it was fairly close to being so. There appeared to be two corridors that led in different directions from the main room. One way was northwest and was covered with Skulltula webbing so not much could be seen ahead. The other way was east of the entry door and was also covered with Skulltula webbing, but what looked like a small crawl space was visible behind the webbing.

Link and Marth moved slowly into the room looking around cautiously as there was an uncomfortable silence hanging in the room. Marth also had the feeling of being watched and he still detested the feeling and more so now with no friendly creatures here. Oh, Marth's treks in the Lost Woods had taught him to be careful around places that most don't go. The Lost Woods was not the safest place, but Marth had learned the dos and don'ts about the place, so he was pretty much fine around it. Some of those lessons he'd learned had been from the Skull Kids that he had encountered and taken a liking of him. However, inside the Great Deku Tree had been far more dangerous than the Lost Woods had ever been.

And the silence was pieced every so often by rustling sounds that echoed around the room. The thickness of webbing in the room also worried Marth as the skulltulas he and Link had come across thus far were small ones, yet Marth had read in a book that skulltulas could be much bigger. The bigger ones had been titled Skullwalltula and they were more dangerous than the smaller skulltulas. And then, from that same book, it had said that small ones normally had a few bigger ones of them that acted as "leaders" to the rest.

Marth caught some movement above where Link was, so he rushed forward and pushed his friend out of the way as a large figure dropped down. Both Link and Marth looked back and saw a large Skulltula facing them, its claws quivering menacingly at the two boys. The boys took out their weapons and shields before Marth moved to be opposite of Link in hopes to confuse the large Skulltula.

The Skulltula spun to face one boy and then a moment later shifted to the other boy, claws constantly quivering to strike its prey. The creature lashed out at Marth first who brought up his shield and slid back a bit from the force of the claws hitting his shield. Link zoomed forward to strike, but the Skulltula spun in a circle sending Link back and defending its unarmored underside. Marth took out one of the Deku nuts that Link and he had been picking up and threw it at the Skulltula which stunned the monster. With the Skulltula dazed, Marth and Link rushed forward and attacked the Skulltula. After a few slashes, the Skulltula dropped to the floor and vanished in black smoke like the monsters before.

Link and Marth moved forward burning the Skulltula webbing and found the eastern crawlspace led to the room that they two had landed in from the ground-level. Nevertheless, they came out on the higher tier of the room that had been unreachable before. The first thing that the two saw was there was a hole downward was covered by Skulltula webbing. But a glance around the immediate area gave Marth an idea of getting through that webbing. Marth waved Link over to a large stone black and the two began pushing it towards the water.

The stone dropped off the edge and splashed into the water making a path to the torch that they had used to get through the first door. Link went across the new path took a Deku stick lit it and headed back and passed the stick up to his friend. Marth took the lit stick and moved over and burned the webbing and then tossed away the stick before he went back and helped Link up to where he was. The two boys went to the edge of the hole to the deepest level of the Great Deku Tree's roots were. The two shared a glance and then jumped down and landed in water thereby preventing injury to themselves.

Marth and Link got to the shore and the moment they did three Deku shrubs popped up facing the two boys. Marth instantly thought back to what the Deku shrub from before had said and figured that these shrubs must be the "brothers" it mentioned. Link and Marth rolled out of the way as nuts began flying at them. Yet, it didn't take long for the two to get their act together and begin working together to block and return the nuts. Luka and Navi watched as the two moved in sync and within a minute managed to beat the three shrubs and catch the last one of them.

"What, wait," the shrub cried, "how did you figure out how to beat us, you shouldn't have been able to do that and it's irritating!"

Marth smiled a bit as he slipped his blade back into its sheath as he answered, "Does twenty-three is number one mean anything to you?"

The shrub paused for a moment then shook in what could only be anger, "That's," it growled but stopped and let out a shriek, "you beat our youngest brother and he sold us out! That makes me so mad that I'll reveal a secret about the queen's weakness." Marth gestured with his right hand for the shrub to go on, "In order to administer the coup de grace to Queen Gohma, strike with your swords while she's stunned." The shrub-like the other bounced off, "Oh, Queenie, I'm so sorry about that!"

Link and Marth moved forward into the next room where this "Queen" that the Deku shrubs had mentioned would be. The room they entered was large and dark, which set the tension that filled the room. Only a few steps in, the wall rose and blocked the door from being used as an exit for the two boys. Marth and Link had snapped back to look at the exit now sealed from them before returning their sight forward. The feeling of being watched was the strongest the Marth had felt inside this room than anywhere else.

When rustling above began being heard, Link and Marth looked up searching for the source of the noise. And both focused on a single red-orange eye looking down on the boys with malicious intent. There was movement on the ceiling before a shape dropped to the floor in front of Link and Marth. The creature or monster was larger than anything that the two boys had encountered in the Great Deku Tree. It had three legs along with two pincer claws and had the basic shape of a spider overall. Both Marth and Link drew their swords figuring that this monster was likely the Queen Gohma that the shrubs had referred to. The single red-orange eye drew attention and sent shivers down both Link's and Marth's spines.

Queen Gohma salivated as she crept forward towards her prey that had come to her nest. The dying tree was resisting and taking a while to give up and cough up what her master wanted from it whatever it was. The slow torture that she had been doing with this tree had been fun and amusing at first, but it had been souring lately with so little for her to do or eat. She planned to come out into the forest after the tree was dead and eat the sweet inhabitance it guarded, yet her patience was wearing thin. However, now these two children were here, she could flex her muscles and have something sweet to eat after so long of being denied. True, these two children had pointy objects in their dull claws, but she could get rid of those and take her time in killing and devouring these two. And so, Gohma let loose a screech to terrify the children as fear added such wonderful flavor and moved forward to begin the pleasure-filled activity she was going to have.

The screech snapped both Marth and Link into action, Marth grabbed a Deku nut and threw it at the ground in front of the monster remember the stun clue the shrub had given. The bright flash caused pain in Gohma and she fell to the ground with her legs suddenly losing strength. The boys zoomed forward and slashed at Gohma's eye which only increased the pain she was feeling. The pointy object turned out to be swords and the blades were sharp and even though they hurt, they also enraged Gohma as well. She was now determined to make these two children scream in sheer terror until they could scream no more. As Gohma rose, Link and Marth backed up in time to evade the monster's claws striking at them. Gohma screeched her fury and then turned to climb up to the ceiling as the children wouldn't be able to use their swords.

Luka hovered near her partner, "This is the monster Navi and I were telling you and Link about," she said. "And this monster is a parasitic arachnid that looks to have armor over much of its body. However, when you threw your Deku nut and stunned it, its eye went red meaning it may be vulnerable when that eye turns red."

Marth watched as Gohma climbed to the ceiling out of reach of swords and making attacks much more difficult. So, he put his sword in its sheath and took out his slingshot and kept his eyes on Gohma. Link saw what Marth was doing and kept his sword out waiting for his friend to make an opportunity for striking the monster they faced. Marth kept what Luka said in mind and patiently waited for the right moment.

Gohma reached the center of her nest and began releasing her babies to weaken the children. It would also allow her children to get a taste of the feast they would soon have and enjoy. However, just before she could let her babies loose, something struck her eye disrupting her concentration. The grip that her legs had released and Gohma fell to the floor writhing in pain with the small object that had hit her eye.

Link moved forward after Marth had used his slingshot and slashed at the monster's eye as that seemed to do damage. Marth quickly rushed forward to assist his friend in killing this beast and completing the task the Great Deku Tree had set them. And the more they slashed the more Gohma struggled. But to end the existence of the monster that was guarding the curse hurting the Great Deku Tree, Marth and Link thrust their swords into Gohma's eye.

Gohma screamed as the two blades stabbed her eye, it meant her end along with her babies. She would return to her master to await his summon, but with her defeat, she had failed to obtain what her master wanted. Gohma had seen her master wasn't the most forgiving for failures and though she had effectively killed the tree, that may only save her and her babies from torture. Gohma collapsed to the ground and blue flame surrounded her which would return her to the limbo that the servants of her master were until summoned.

Link and Marth drew back as blue flames surrounded the monster, watching in a mix of confusion and disgust. The flames appeared to consume Gohma leaving was looked like some sort of heart-shaped crystal along with a circle of blue light. The boys looked at one another, "And I thought the black smoke with the other creature was odd," Marth remarked, "Blue fire consuming them is stranger and gives an uneasy feeling to me at least."

Link nodded slowly, "You are not the only one getting an uneasy feeling Marth," he said. Then Link turned to the crystal, "And what do you think that is?"

Marth shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, none of the books I've gotten my hands on have said anything about a heart-shaped crystal." Marth approached the crystal, "But the way to find out would be to have a better look at it."

Link was going to tell Marth not to touch the crystal, but his friend didn't right away, merely walked around it, looking it over. Marth was trying to figure if this crystal dropped by the monster was dangerous, yet he didn't see any sign of it being a bad object. However, when it came to the point of looking at things, Marth had learned you don't touch until you are reasonably sure it won't hurt you and definitely not kill out outright. So, Marth took his scarf and wrapped his right hand in it and waved the same hand really close to the crystal. When he felt no searing heat or frigid cold temperatures, he grabbed the crystal not letting it touch his bare skin just yet. Marth fount the crystal surprisingly light and felt nothing through his scarf.

Marth had learned a few years ago, that his scarf was not an ordinary piece of clothing, at least it couldn't be made of normal fabric. The scarf had resistance to high heat and extreme cold from what Marth had discovered through some trial and error that he kept to himself. It had been much the same with many ideas, the scarf kept whatever it wrapped pretty much protected. Marth couldn't even recall where the scarf had come from, he had always had it and it had felt natural to wear and he felt somewhat naked without the scarf. So, since Marth had discovered that the scarf would protect him from many things, he used it to test unknown objects.

Luka and Navi who were hovering by Link were just staring in confusion at what Marth was doing and why he wrapped his scarf around his hand. "Hey Link," Navi started, "Do you know why Marth would wrap his hand with that scarf he always wears?"

Link shrugged, yet unbeknownst to them, Marth could hear what the fairy had said. And since the four of them would be working together, Marth figured he should tell them about his scarf. He had been meaning to tell Link, but just hadn't gotten around to telling his friend just yet. "I wrapped my hand in my scarf as it can protect me against a great deal of things I've found," Marth stated.

Luka moved closer to Marth, "What do you mean, it's an ordinary scarf isn't it," she asked.

Marth shook his head, "In the last few years, I have learned differently, this scarf has saved me from getting parts of my body burned and frozen among other things. So, I tell you this scarf is not a normal one and no, I can't tell you what it is made of or where it came from."

Link put a finger to his chin, "You've always had that scarf as long as I can remember," he commented.

Marth nodded, "Yep, and after learning that it can protect me against a lot of things, I use it when looking at things I know nothing about. That habit has I believe kept me from getting hurt during my walks and explorations of the Lost Woods," he explained.

"Wait," Navi exclaimed, "You go into the Lost Woods?!"

Marth paused and looked at the blue fairy before he gave his answer, "Yep, believe I said that before and I'm not afraid of the place like the others are taught to be. So, I go there at least once a week, usually more than that."

Link sighed at my answer while Luka went over to Navi, "Calm down Navi," she said, then glanced at Marth who was looking at the crystal again. "I believe that there would be little we could do to stop him from going into the Lost Woods. I'm getting the impression he may listen to what others say but doesn't always follow the counsel given to him."

Marth paused again, "Good of you to notice that now, Link already knows that point about me," Marth stated. "You have a problem with that part of me, then for your own peace of mind I would recommend you get used to it."

Link chuckled a bit, "I still remember how Saria reacted to that line," he commented.

Marth sighed paused in his examination recalling how Saria had and did react to him as it was so different than others. "Yeah, hugged me and said she liked every part of me," Marth hesitated for a moment, "there are things that I still don't get with her, but she's a good friend to have I admit." Marth then touched the crystal with his left hand and felt all tiredness leave him, which got him to jerk his hand back. He looked at the crystal with wide eyes trying to comprehend what the crystal was to do what it just had.

Link closed the distance between him and his best friend, "Marth are you okay," he questioned worried by how Marth had jerked his hand back.

The fairies came over to float over the boys, Luka gazed at Marth's left hand and it looked okay, there were no signs of harm being done to it. Marth shook his hand and then nodded, "I am alright Link, more surprised than anything. When I touched the crystal with my bare hand, I felt all tiredness vanish and I've never had that happen to me."

Link stared at the crystal and then touched it himself and he withdrew his hand a moment later. "Woah, you weren't joking, that is a weird feeling to have," Link remarked.

Marth had been watching when Link touched the crystal, and it had glowed for a brief moment which Marth had missed before when he had done the same. That gave Marth an idea, "Hey Link, grab and hold onto the crystal when I say and let's see what happens, I'm curious now," he suggested. Link looked at Marth's face and saw his friend was serious, so Link nodded and waited for Marth to give the signal. Marth placed the crystal on the ground and it stood somehow on its own. Marth then unwrapped his right hand and took a breath, "Okay, on three," he started his hand ready to grab the crystal, "One." Marth's right hand twitched, "Two." Link's hand twitched much like Marth's did a moment ago.

The fairies stared at their partners and were kind of wondering if these boys were a bit crazy to do what they were about to. They were about to touch a crystal that none of them knew much about. When they had both touched it, they had jerked back and had said something about a weird feeling coming to them. Yet, neither Luka nor Navi could find it in themselves to say anything to discourage them. "Three," Marth called.

Both Link and Marth grabbed the crystal with a hand and not only did all the tiredness vanish, the two felt an amount better than they had been. The crystal also glowed brightly and then disappear, but the effects that he had produced didn't leave with it. Marth blinked, "Wow, I feel better than I have in a while," he said. "It's weird but I don't mind it so much now that I feel better."

Link nodded in agreement with what Marth said as he felt better than he had a few minutes ago. Then he turned to the blue circle that was still glowing softly, "So, do you think that will get us out of here," asked Link.

Marth glanced at the blue circle, "Maybe," he admitted, "It would be nice, I don't feel like climbing up the way we came down, I don't know about you."

The two boys got to their feet and slowly moved over to the glowing blue circle studying it as they approached it. The circle looked okay, but with all the strange things they had seen, neither Marth nor Link were jumping at something they knew nothing about. Yet after a minute, nothing happened, so the two stepped into the circle at the same time. Both Marth and Link were lifted and then were enveloped in white light. The next thing they knew, they were floating down to be right in front of the Great Deku Tree.

"Well done to you both Link and Marth," the Great Deku Tree said in greeting. The two boys and both fairies faced the guardian of the forest, "Both of thee hast verily demonstrated courage."

Both Marth and Link nodded, expecting things would be okay for the Great Deku Tree going forward, the curse was gone after all. "I knew that thee would be able to carry out my wishes," the Great Deku Tree continued, "Now I have yet more to tell thee both, wouldst thou listen?"

Link and Marth nodded and sat down on the ground to listen to what they would be told by essentially the one they knew as a "parent". The Great Deku Tree kept going after the acceptance, "Listen carefully, a wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse upon me. This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule."

Link listened to what was being said as did Marth, but in Marth's head there was a headache developing and it started when the story the Great Deku Tree began. "For it is in the Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of those that created our world."

Marth's headache sharpened at the sentence and the impression that the story being told wasn't exactly right or was missing something important was added to the pain. Yet, Marth focused on the story and said nothing and didn't let the pain he was in be seen. "In the beginning, before spirits and life existed, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule."

Whispers began echoing in Marth's head as the Great Deku Tree kept the story going, "Din, the goddess of power."

An image flashed in Marth's mind for the briefest moment but he couldn't recall it and it had been so quick that he couldn't accurately tell what it had been of. But the feeling that came with the image was one of disappointment, yet Marth couldn't explain what the feeling was related to. "Nayru, the goddess of wisdom," the Great Deku Tree said.

Another image flashed in Marth's head, and like the last one, he didn't know what it had been of. However, the feeling that came with it was different as it was a feeling of happiness yet it was accompanied by sorrow. The strange feelings were worrying Marth somewhat as he didn't know where they were coming from. "Farore, the goddess of courage," the Great Deku Tree iterate.

A third image flashed in Marth's mind and like the other two, he couldn't tell what it had been. Nonetheless, the feeling with this one was neutral and it was confusing, but not worrisome as the other emotions that came with the other two images. "Din, with her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth," the Great Deku Tree said.

The whispers of there being something off came again to Marth, though they were a little louder than before. Marth had heard the story of the world's creation before, but this time felt different and whatever it was going on inside Marth's mind seemed to be at the center of it. "Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of the law to the world," the Great Deku Tree continued.

Something akin to a hiss sounded in Marth's head that what had just been said wasn't entirely true. That points were being left out of the story that should be said, which made Marth's headache worse. "Farore, with her rich soul, she produced all life-forms who would uphold the law," the Great Deku Tree kept going.

Marth clenched his teeth to not let the pain show and tried to ignore the whispers and the hisses of wrongness being done. However, Marth couldn't dismiss what was happening to him completely. And even listening to the whispers didn't help to learn what they were talking about, only the story being told wasn't fully correct. But that didn't make sense, the story was overall the same as the times before when Marth heard it, so what was different about this time? "The three great goddesses, their labors completed, departed for the heavens," the Great Deku Tree said.

Marth shook his head slightly as the last line had felt wrong somehow, but he couldn't figure out why. Then a voice whispered understandable words, "_No, they didn't go into the heavens, none of them can,_" Marth controlled his breathing to keep calm though he put what the whisper had said to the back of his mind. Then another came, "_One of them is at fault… they started all of this._"

"And golden sacred triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world," the Great Deku Tree continued.

Luka had stopped looking to the Great Deku Tree and had been observing Marth as he looked off. At first, the signs hadn't been easy to see, but whatever was plaguing Marth was getting worse as time went on. And from what Luka was seeing, the story that the Great Deku Tree was telling was contributing to it. "Since then, the sacred triangles have become the basis of our world's providence," the Great Deku Tree stated. "And the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm."

Marth shook his head to clear it of the whispers and hisses and made the effort to focus on the Great Deku Tree as the story was at its end. "Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce," the Great Deku Tree said firmly. "Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart to enter the Sacred Realm of legend."

What the Great Deku Tree was saying had changed in tone and both Link and Marth had noticed the shift. The change didn't sit well with either boy as it was starting to sound like the Great Deku Tree was saying some sort of final words. But that couldn't be right as they had broken the curse that had been on the Great Deku Tree. "That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power, and because of that curse, my end is nigh."

That got Marth to gaze at the Great Deku Tree, "Hold on, then are you saying that all the work Link and I did inside you was for nothing," he questioned incredulously.

"Your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, yet I was doomed before you started," the Great Deku Tree replied.

Link's head fell a bit, feeling defeated hearing all the work he and Marth had done hadn't helped the Great Deku Tree. Marth, on the other hand, was not happy to hear all the effort spent was wasted essentially. "Then what was the point of Link and I breaking the curse on you," Marth demanded.

"Thou hath proven ready for what lies ahead of thee both," the Great Deku Tree returned. "Yes, I will pass away soon, but do not grieve for me, I have been able to tell you both of these matters."

Both Navi and Luka couldn't use their voices as the fact the Great Deku Tree was going to die soon sunk in. Losing the Great Deku Tree would be a serious blow to those that fought against the forces of evil, there was no question about that. "This is Hyrule's final hope," the Great Deku Tree stated, "Link, Marth, go now to Hyrule Castle."

Marth had heard of the place, he had never been there that he knew of, but Marth had seen it some of the few times he went out of the forest to see what the world looked like. But the question was why would the Great Deku Tree wanted Link and him to go there of all places. That was the point that Marth couldn't figure out, not even with the knowledge he had acquired from the books he had managed to find. "There thou wilt surely meet the Princess of Destiny," the Great Deku Tree said but the voice was weakening. "Take this stone with thee, the stone that man wanted so much that he cast the curse upon me."

There was a glow of green light and after it died down there was a green jewel that had gold wrapped around the whole jewel. Link took the jewel and put it into a pouch he had at his hips and then he and Marth focused back on the Great Deku Tree. "The Future depends upon thee both Link, Marth, thou are courageous youths."

There was a moment a silence before the Great Deku Tree spoke again, "Navi, Luka, help your partners to carry out my will," the Great Deku Tree pled, "I entreat thee, Navi, Luka, goodbye…"

The air in the grove suddenly grew heavy and then became completely still and stayed that way. It signaled that the guardian of the forest had passed and it wouldn't be long before all in the forest knew the Great Deku Tree was gone. A frown came to Marth's face, "All that work we just did, and still, we didn't save the Great Deku Tree."

"Marth," began Link, "We did the best we could. We didn't know that he was dying and there was nothing that would change that."

Marth's shoulders slumped, "Yeah, I know that, but that doesn't make the frustration that is filling me go away," he replied.

"Well then, Let's go to Hyrule Castle as the Great Deku Tree asked us to," Navi said.

Luka nodded, "Indeed, standing around and doing nothing is clearly not helping us."

Marth and Link knew what their fairies were saying was right, standing around wouldn't change anything. Marth was thinking about how they would need to get some supplies before they headed out and the sooner they did, the better. Marth wasn't looking forward to facing Mido nor the rumors that he would start about Link and him. "Link," Marth began, "I think it would be best that we go as soon as we can." Marth paused, hesitating, "Doubt I need to say that rumors will go around about us, likely Mido starting a number of them."

Link knew what Marth was saying was true, but the forest was their home, so leaving it so soon felt depressing. "Let's gather supplies then," Link said in reply.

The two began heading towards the village, their fairies turned to look at the Great Deku Tree and said silent goodbyes to the tree. Then both Navi and Luka took up to flying behind their partners as they went. Marth did hold in the groan at seeing Mido blocking the corridor exit knowing that this encounter would be worse than previous ones. Most of the previous crossing that Marth had with Mido hadn't been pleasant at all for him. "There you two are," Mido shouted, "what did you two do?!"

Link sighed, "Mido go somewhere else right now, neither of us are in the mood to talk to you," he said trying to keep the situation from getting any worse.

"That's not going to fly, the Great Deku Tree," Mido hesitated, "did he die?"

Marth took a deep breath, "Yeah, he did," he admitted not liking the point at all.

Mido balled his fists up, "How could you let a thing like that happen," demanded Mido. "The Great Deku Tree called on you two fairy less Kokiri, you go and not just fail like normal but fail completely! The Great Deku Tree is dead because of your double failure and so it's all your fault"

Both Navi and Luka were mad at what Mido was accusing Link and Marth of, they had given their best in what they had done. Link, on the other hand, was worried the moment that he heard the word fail and failure coming from Mido. Marth normally didn't let what others say about himself get to him, but the being accused of failing was one thing that got under his skin badly. The last time that Mido had told Marth that he had failed, the two had to be separated and Mido had a black eye for his mistake. However, Link believed that this time could be worse than that instance, especially with Marth in the mood he was in. Link took a glance at Marth and knew he was not pleased with what Mido had just said and if their fellow Kokiri didn't leave now, he was going to get hurt. "Mido," Link said in a serious tone, "You've crossed a line and you should run."

Mido scoffed, "Like I would be afraid of an empty threat," he replied.

Well, Link had tried to save Mido the pain he was going to be put in with what Marth would give him momentarily. And Link was proven right when Marth rushed forward with an angry expression on his face as he grabbed Mido's tunic collar. "Cross a line you have Mido, and as for you saying this is our fault, shut up!" Marth then slugged Mido across the cheek hard, "As if you could have done any better than us you whiny scaredy-cat," he snarled at a volume that every Kokiri heard. Marth was known for not losing his temper often, but when it happened you stayed out of whatever caused it, which usually was Mido. Marth kept going, "Link and I tried our hardest to help the Great Deku Tree and you show just how foolish you really are with blaming us of doing any less than our best. We did more than you would have, and the results would have been no different." Marth punched Mido in the face which gave the boy a bloody nose before taking a deep breath in, and Link covered his ears in preparation for what was coming. "WE DIDN'T FAIL YOU IDIOT, YOU'RE THE FAILURE AS IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE MIDO," Marth bellowed before tossing Mido into the water ahead of them and then stalked off in the direction of his house with any in his path moving out of the way.

Both fairies were gaping at what had just happened since Marth didn't usually act like he just had. "What was that about," asked Navi.

Link shook his head and gazed after his friend, knowing that his friend had a good heart even at moments like this when it didn't appear so. "Marth doesn't like the words fail or failure, less when the words are used when talking about him. Marth believes that as long as you give your best, you will never fail," Link paused then continued, "Making mistakes happens, and Marth sees mistakes as completely different than failure or failing. Mido should know to not do set off Marth, but I guess things just got to what they did."

Luka flew off to Marth's house as she wanted answers for some of the things she'd seen with the boy today. She found Marth sitting on his bed frowning angrily but doing little else. Luka landed on the table by his bed, "Marth," she started but stopped trying to think of how to say what she wanted. "What Mido said is not true, you nor Link failed the Great Deku Tree in any way. I witnessed your efforts and those are to be admired not dismissed, don't listen to what others say against that."

The frown faded from Marth and he exhaled, "I know, Mido was prodding me and I let him while I wish I hadn't, but," Marth brought up his right hand an flexed the fingers still finding them painful from his punching Mido. He hesitated, "I just don't know exactly what to think right now and I'm so confused with things lately. Before today everything was simpler and made more sense, yet now, I don't know what to think."

Luka moved to Marth's knees, "Perhaps the confusion is coming from whatever was happening to you while the Great Deku Tree was telling what he was," she posed.

Marth blinked and stared at the fairy, "How did you know something," he began.

"You are good at hiding things from others, but not perfect at it," Luka replied.

Marth swallowed and didn't say anything for a moment then began, "First, I am not crazy, I want to say that before I start this." Luka was confused yet curious at why Marth would say that before anything else, it was somewhat odd. Marth continued after a minute, "While the Great Deku Tree was going through the creation story, I heard whispers in my head. I can't explain why or what it was, it could be my mind playing tricks on me on top of having a headache at the same time." Marth paused, then kept going, "There were certain sentences that," Marth stopped recalling what had come at hearing the names of the golden goddesses. "Things came to mind that don't make sense to me and that scares me an amount."

Luka was kind of surprise to hear Marth admit that he was scared of something, he hadn't before now that she could think of. But what he was say was strange and it clearly was the same for him. Luka was starting to wonder if Marth was more misunderstood than an outsider as he was treated as. "Then halfway through, the whispers got louder and were joined by hisses, still couldn't understand what they were saying."

Luka tilted her head, "Did they give any hint as to what they were trying to say," she asked.

Marth's hands came to hold his head, "That the story I was hearing wasn't completely true, but I can't say how or why," he finished.

The creation story not completely true? With how old the story was, Luka could see how some points would be not entirely true. However, the way Marth says the idea, Luka believed that he meant more than just minor details. Marth sighed, "I suppose that it doesn't matter right now, it is just confusing," he remarked.

Luka flew to Marth's shoulder and touched his cheek, "If you need to talk about things like this, know that I am more than willing to listen and not judge you Marth," she stated.

Marth looked at the "fairy" that was to be his partner, for other than Link and sometimes Saria, most didn't give him the time. So, for another to care enough to be willing to listen to Marth was surprising to him. "Well, for what it's worth Luka, I am grateful that you would be willing to listen to me, only Link and Saria have done that for me."

"Well, we are partners now, so we help one another," said Luka.

With that settled, Marth rose slowly as to not knock Luka off his shoulder and headed for Link's house above Marth's own. Link and Marth discussed what their plans were to be going forward and it was agreed they would head out tomorrow morning. That way there would be less out and about to see them leaving quietly. And with that in mind, Marth and Luka returned to Marth's house and turned in for the evening.

The morning came and Marth made sure to go and wake up Link as he wasn't the best morning person. And shortly after that, Marth and Link headed for the entrance that led out of the forest and came onto the bridge out. They hadn't gotten halfway when they were stopped, "Oh, you're both leaving then?" Link and Marth turned to see Saria standing by one of the ropes that supported the bridge. The two walked towards their friend as she continued, "I knew that you two would leave the forest someday. It's because you are both different from the rest of us in the forest, but that's okay. And that's because we'll always be friends no matter where you travel to or how much time passes, right?"

Marth cracked a smile, "Forget one of the good friends I have," he shook his head, "Not a chance Saria."

Link nodded, "I agree with Marth on this, we will never forget you."

Saria showed what she had been holding which was the ocarina she had for herself, "I want you to have this ocarina, please take good care of it," she said.

Marth shrugged, "Well, I have a flute that I got recently from an individual that said it was a sign of friendship. So, I think you would be able to use it better than me Link, take it," Marth remarked.

"When you play my ocarina, I hope you will think of me and both of you come back to the forest to visit from time to time," Saria requested.

The two nodded before they turned and continued on to the outside world that was separate from the forest. Saria watched her two friends head out on their journey wishing with her heart that they would be safe.

**A/n**

**And that's where I'll end the first chapter of this story. Now allow me to explain a couple of things for this story. First, my OC Marth isn't a clone or copy of Link, he is his own character and has a personality of his own that I would hope has shown already. He and Link are friends and there are reasons why they work so well together, but that is a subject that I'll get into much later in this. Second, I'll say this now, Link will not be mute, he'll talk, just not as much as others. Third, you readers will find that I will explain things differently like how Heart Containers work differently than they work in the game. The health/stamina system will be different, so read on to learn more as I'll go into it better as the story goes on.**

**Hope you readers like this idea thus far as it is getting fun to write and create characters for. I'm just getting started but will not be abandon my other stories, just switch as inspiriting comes. Please, some of you write a review and tell me what you think of this story. **


	2. The Outset

**A/n**

**Here is the second chapter for this story, it is shorter than the first, but it helps the story along. As I said in the last chapter, I don't own any of the Legend of Zelda characters, just my own OCs. Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 2: The Outset

Link and Marth came out of the forest with the sun shining down on them even with there being rock walls to either side. The two kept going forward and came around a corner and in front of them was the open land of Hyrule itself. The boys stared for a moment as Link hadn't really been out of the forest and Marth had only seen Hyrule from a distance and not from the current view. The journey ahead of them and what it could involve was starting to sink in to both Link and Marth as the looked at a world neither had entered.

After staring for a time, Marth and Link moved forward but didn't get too far, "Hoo Hoot! Look up here you two," called a voice.

Both Marth and Link glanced in the direction that the voice came from and found a large owl perched on a branch of a tree ahead of them. The owl was colored shades of brown overall with his front a lighter brown, his sides a more neutral brown and his tail feathers and back a darker brown. His "face" was a light tan while his eyes were a blue which Link and Marth took in as the owl looked down at the two. "It appears that the time has final come for you both to start your adventure!"

Marth and Link looked at each other, wondering who this owl was and why it was talking to them along with how that was possible at all to begin with. Animals in general in the world didn't speak words that the intelligent races did normally, so for those that did, it set them apart. Link really couldn't find words at the moment as talking animals were only in stories that he had heard. Marth had read about such instances of talking animals in the books that he had gotten his hands on. "You seem to know an amount about us Mr. Owl, yet we have not met before that I can think of," Marth said, "So then, who are you and what do you actually know of us?"

"Hoo Hoot," the Owl replied, "A smart one you are, have a keen mind to use and it will serve you and your friend well. I am known as Kaepora Gaebora and I have watched you both for a long time."

Marth didn't know exactly what to think about this owl, this Kaepora Gaebora as it had called itself. It or he had said that he had been watching Link and Marth himself for a long time and that was possible, but there was no evidence to prove or disprove that and such irked Marth somewhat. Yet it was Link putting a hand on his friend's shoulder that brought Marth out of his thoughts. "If you have been watching us, then why reveal yourself now," asked Link.

Kaepora let out a series of hoots and other noises that Link and Marth guessed was laughter, "The outset of your adventure to face the forces of evil has come," Kaepora returned. "You two are special and those who would bring misery and darkness know that."

Link was trying to figure out what the owl was talking about, where Marth had an idea of what was being said. "You say the 'forces of evil' know of us and have a problem with Link and I," posed Marth, "Why, we have done nothing."

"Hoo Hoot," Kaepora let out, "Done nothing you say, you defeated a keeper of the death curse and the one that was placed on the guardian of the forest, that is not nothing. Because of that, the monster's master has become aware that there are those that can stand against them, which is you two."

Marth nor Link could deny they had beat the monster that had been killing the Great Deku Tree as they had. But what caught Marth's attention was the second sentence as it strongly implied that the creature that Marth and Link had kill had and served a master. The individual was likely the man from the desert that the Great Deku Tree mentioned had cursed him. Kaepora continued, "You two will encounter many hardships ahead, it is the fate which you two bare. But don't feel discourage, even during the toughest times working together will see you through."

It was true that when Link and Marth worked together, whether in work, games or something else, they had always made it through. It was a solid fact that came with their friendship and both had noticed the point clearly over the years. Kaepora kept going bring the boys' focus back to him, "If you two go straight ahead, you will see Hyrule Castle and its town before it." Their destination was Hyrule Castle to find the princess that the Great Deku Tree had talked about.

"There, you'll find the Princess that you are searching for," summed up the owl, "Did you get all of that?"

Both Marth and Link nodded, even though the owl had twisted its head to be upside-down which was odd. "All right then, I'll see you around, hoot hoot hoot ho," exclaimed Kaepora Gaebora and then flew off.

The boys looked at each other, "Was that as odd to you as it felt to me, or was I the only one that thought it was weird," Marth asked.

Link shook his head, "It is not just you Marth, I always thought talking animals was something in stories not real," he remarked.

Marth put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "All stories have elements of truth I've found Link," he replied. Then Marth paused, "There are just some more surprising than others are."

The two shortly headed across the open land heading in the direction that had been indicated the castle was in. The fields of Hyrule were not simple to cross for Link and Marth as creatures did try attacking them. The two worked together to defend themselves and move forward towards the town they quickly spotted in the distance.

While crossing Hyrule Fields, Link had to wonder where Marth had learned how to use a sword, though Link himself was learning as they went and so Marth could be doing as well. But it kind of looked like Marth had a natural talent with wielding a sword from what Link saw. Then when Link asked Marth where he had actually gotten the sword, Marth just said he "found it" while in walking around the Lost Woods. And it wasn't that Link didn't believe his friend or thought he was lying, Marth didn't do that kind of thing. It was Marth did things that others wouldn't and talk about it in a way that made it sound like nothing of note.

Link wasn't the only one considering what was going on while going along toward Hyrule Castle, both Luka and Navi were too. The expectations being set upon the two boys were mounting and shouldn't be given to them at all. Yet, Marth and Link hadn't refused them but accepted the task and were giving their best efforts, much as they had helping the Great Deku Tree. True, they weren't the same and didn't see things the same way, and so Link and Marth did argue about some things. However, overall the two did seem to have common goals that they worked towards and understood what needed to happen to reach them. The more that Navi and Luka saw the facets of Link's and Marth's friendship, the more interesting it became.

It was afternoon by the time that Marth and Link reached the drawbridge that led into Hyrule's Castle Town. The boys walked in looking around themselves as this was the first real city that either had seen with their own eyes. The town itself was surrounded by a huge and thick stone wall, which kept out monsters that may come by. The drawbridge was the only clear entry into the city and with the rampart above was very defendable. In front of the wall and under the bridge was the wide and moderately deep moat that had the Zora's River that fed it. So, coming into the city gave a feeling of security for most as there had been no successful assaults against the town since the civil war that had ended many years ago.

Marth and Link soon came into the open market area of Castle Town and the stopped to take it all in. The area was crowded with bustling groups at the stalls and in front of the stores selling their products. Among the notable stalls and stores, there was the general store for items and then the adventure supplies which was simply called the Bazaar. And there wasn't just stores and stalls selling things, there were also places for entertainment and food as well. The place itself was a lot for Link and Marth to take in as this was so new to them both. Then on the edge of town was a large stone building that towered over the other structures in the town.

Link and Marth wandered through the crowds, not really interacting with the people, more just observing them. Of course, getting to the castle and making their way inside was the goal for the two boys, but this environment was so different to what they had known. None of the town's inhabitance seemed to take notice of the two boys as they weaved through them. Yet after some time, Marth and Link got to the other side of town which had Hyrule's Castle in front of them.

The two headed along the path that led to the castle, Link focusing on the task of getting to the one that the Great Deku tree had called the Princess of Destiny. Marth on the other hand, was thinking about how Link and he could slip into the castle, he figured that the guards weren't going to let them just pass. The information from the books Marth had read gave enough of an idea about soldier and knights to know they didn't just let people through. However, both boys were brought out of their thoughts unexpectedly, "Hey there, are you two heading for the castle?"

The voice had been a girl's, and when Marth and Link turned into the direction of its source they found themselves looking at a girl. The girls that was before Link and Marth appeared to be around the same age as they were and other Kokiri as well. She was just a tiny margin shorter than Link and Marth and her waist-length red-orange hair which seemed to go with her blue eyes. The girl was wearing a white dress with blue embroidery at the bottom and end of the short sleeves. Along with the dress was a yellow bandana around her neck with a gold clasp in the center to keep it on. The girl smiled at Link and Marth, "You two aren't from around here, are you," she asked.

The boys shook their heads, but it was Marth that spoke for both of them, "No, not exactly, what gave away that we're not from around here?"

The girl pointed at Luka and then at Navi who were floating behind their partners, "You have fairies with you right? The stories I've been told say only are around those that come from the forest," she replied.

Marth and Link looked at one another, "I suppose we do stick out in some ways," Link remarked.

Marth shrugged, "I guess we do," he returned. Then he turned back to the girl, "Uh, I can't say that I heard what your name is," he pointed to himself, "My name is Marth, and his is Link," Marth said pointing to his friend.

The girl giggled, "You two are funny, my name is Malon forest boy," she said before turning to face Link, "And it is nice to meet you fairy boy."

Marth blinked, "Wait, forest boy," he questioned. "Why would you call me forest boy and my friend fairy boy?"

Malon giggled again, "Because you just seem like one that loves to spend time in the forest by yourself."

Link chuckled, "She's got you on that Marth," he commented.

Marth's shoulders slumped, "Yeah," he said then sighed, "Do I really come off that way to others so easily?"

Link nodded, yet Malon spoke again, "So are you two going to the castle?"

The boys looked back at the girl, then Marth nodded, "We're heading that way yes, why do you ask," he asked.

Malon clasped her hands behind her back and rocked forward and back as she thought about how to ask these two boys for help. Her dad hadn't come back from his delivery of the ranch milk yet and he should have. She guessed that he had fallen asleep either waiting for the castle guards or had just decided to take a nap. That was a shortcoming of her father, one that her mother had attempted to help him with, but she had died before there had been improvement made. However, when Malon had asked the guards to check for her father, they had refused and said they couldn't let her do so either. But there was something in the eyes of these two boys that told Malon that they would get into the castle where she had not. She felt in her heart that she could depend on these two boys even when she had just met them.

"Well, my dad went up to the castle to make a delivery of milk from my family's ranch," Malon started. "Lon Lon Ranch is famous for what produce comes from it, especially our milk. But my dad was supposed to make the delivery last night and come back to the place we were staying, and he wasn't around when I woke up from breakfast." Malon paused, "I know I shouldn't worry about him, but if you are going to the castle, could you look for him?"

Marth nodded, "Sure, Link and I can keep an eye out for him, what does he look like," he replied.

Malon felt a smile come to her face and described what her father looked like, then she couldn't help herself by say one more thing. "Thanks that would be great, he has likely fallen asleep knowing him. What a silly thing for an adult to do, isn't it?"

"Asleep," questioned Link.

Malon nodded, "My dad can fall asleep anywhere, and he is a really heavy sleeper too," she said then an idea came to her. "And because of that," she remarked before digging in the bag she had with her and brought out an egg. "You should be able to use this," Malon stated holding out the egg.

Link and Marth stared at the egg, "So," asked Link, "What are we supposed to do with this egg?"

Marth studied the egg as it looked rather similar to a picture in one of the books he had read. And if it was the same kind of egg, the creature inside was quite something according to books or at least could be. "This is a Cucco egg right," he questioned.

Malon nodded, "Yep, and it will hatch soon," she said. "Cucco love to crow and wake people up. And they really love waking heavy sleepers, the lazier the person, the happier they are to wake them."

Marth had read about Cucco, though he had never seen one himself as they weren't around the forest at all. Most of what he had read stated that the birds were good for egg production and waking people earlier. However, there had been at least one reference that Marth recalled that said the birds were dangerous if you ticked them off in some way. Yet, that reference hadn't been specific examples of what could happen and that nagged at Marth. The other issue was it was getting dark and it wouldn't be wise for Link or Marth to go to the castle at night and both figured that. "Well, we can certainly keep an eye out for him, but as it's getting dark that will have to wait until tomorrow," Marth stated.

Malon nodded, then she smiled, "You can stay where I am while I have been waiting for my dad," she replied.

Link and Marth glanced at each other, knowing that they didn't have a place to stay for the night. With an offer being made for a place to sleep that wasn't outside, to refuse would be rude and foolish. So, the two boys nodded in acceptance to Malon's offer of a place to sleep to which she giggled and then led the way back to town. Malon showed the way west of the main market down one of the alleyways and to a door to a house. Navi and Luka decided to hide in clothing their partners had, Navi under Link's hat and Luka in the folds of Marth's scarf. These people had been giving some strange looks with the fairies so better not to hurt the chances of their partners.

Malon knocked and the three children were let inside by a woman, "Malon, what were you doing out so late and who are your two friends with you," asked the woman.

"Sorry for being out this late," Malon apologized, "I was waiting for my dad and he didn't show up. But then I met these two and they said they would help find my dad, yet it was already getting dark." Malon clapped her hands together, "Could they stay here tonight please," she begged.

The woman that was the owner of the house looked at Marth and Link, and they didn't appear to be the bad sort even if they were dressed differently. So, she nodded to Malon, "Very well child,' she said, "That father of yours will answer for you waiting, so you are to punish him when he comes back, you hear?"

Malon smiled and nodded strongly and then guided the two boys further inside the house. Marth and Link found places to sleep for the night which neither could complain about. When morning came, the two boys snuck out and back to the castle. Neither had an idea how to get in and past the guards and they both agreed that the guards would let them in. When they looked around, Marth spotted some vines growing on the side of one of the rock faces that was on the right side of the approach path to the castle.

The two climbed up the vines and found themselves looking over the foreground in front of Hyrule Castle. There were a number of guards watching the grounds and the path to the castle making sneaking in more difficult. However, Marth began seeing a potential path through and past them as he continued to study the layout. So, he signaled Link to follow him and crept forward towards the hillside directly in front of them. Marth and Link slid down the dirt hillside to the ground below and behind the first gate to the Castle.

From there, Marth in front snuck around the guards using the blind spots that the guards weren't keeping a eye on. And within ten minutes both Link and Marth reached the moat around the castle. They jumped in to get passed the gate guards and ended out on the east end of the Castle foreyard. The two got themselves out of the moat and looked around to see if there was a way into the castle itself. Yet, the two's gazes stopped on the sight of a man next to crates which were in front of a metal door on the castle wall.

The man was of average adult size, though his shape was different from most that Link and Marth had seen yet. He had a rounded barrel-chested body shape but did have notable muscles with his arms and legs. The man also had no hair on the top of his head, yet he did on the sides and that included his thick mustache all brown in color. He was wearing a red shirt and blue overalls with brown boots to finish the outfit. The man certainly fit the description that Malon had given Marth and Link yesterday.

Yet, as the two approached, something moved around in one of the pouches Marth had and he looked down at it. He quickly dug around in the pouch and brought out the egg that Malon had given Link and him which was moving. Link noticed that Marth had taken out the egg before cracks began forming and a moment later there was what appeared to be white smoke surrounded the egg. Once the smoke cleared a white bird was sitting on Marth's hand clucking quietly. This was the first live cucco that Marth had seen and it was the same for Link but both had heard a couple of things about them.

The two boys looked back to the man sleeping and snoring in front of them. Marth gained a bit of a smirk which Link had seen before and it came when Marth was going to play a prank on someone. Link sighed in response, "Get on with it Marth, we both know you're going to enjoy what you're going to do."

Marth chuckled for a moment before moving forward silently with the cucco still in hand. Marth was petting the bird to keep it calm be as Link has said Marth was looking forward to waking up this guy and seeing how he reacted. Once Marth was next to the man, Marth held out the cucco out towards the guy and pointed for the bird to see the man. The cucco cocked its head to the side then let out a crow. The man was up just after the crow was made looking around, "What in tarnation?! Can't a person get a little shut-eye around here," he exclaimed.

Marth managed to keep from laughing, but he did have a smile on his face as Link came to be next to his friend. Link knew his friend did get a kick out of playing pranks but seeing him at work made it look a tad mean even when Link knew Marth was not mean. Marth had a heart of gold and for those that knew him that was never in doubt and wouldn't be. Yet, it was Marth that spoke first to the man, "Good morning sir."

The man looked at the two boys, 'Indeed, a good mornin it is, and who be ya two," he asked with a drawl.

Marth pointed to himself, "My name is Marth," then he gestured to Link, "and his is Link. What is your name sir?"

"My name is Talon and ah'm the owner of Lon Lon Ranch," Talon introduced. "Ah was here deliverin a batch of milk to the castle."

Marth was nodded, "Yeah, so we were told by a girl by the name of Malon," he replied.

Talon froze as if his daughter had told these boys about him, then he could be in trouble. He had promised that he would make the delivery and return to her. However, the servants at the castle had not answered the knocking he had made. He had talked to some of the Hyrule guards and they said they would tell the castle servants that he was waiting to deliver a shipment of milk. Yet, no one had come and he had thought a little nap wouldn't do harm. "Malon sent ya to come lookin for me," Talon asked. The boys nodded and Talon knew he was in trouble, "I've done screwed up, she gonna let me have it this time!" Talon bowed to the boys, "Sorry gotta go," he said before running of towards town fretting as he went.

With Talon gone, Marth and Link used the milk crates to make a platform to jump from to get to the water drain that was on the castle side. Crawling through the draining tunnel they came out on the inside of the castle in a pool. The two got out and then hide behind stone and shrubbery looking ahead of them and seeing a number of guards patrolling. Navi and Luka saw the obstacles that the guards presented with reaching the princess. "So Marth," said Link, "You have any ideas on getting past the guards ahead of us, doubt they will let us pass without fuss."

Marth snickered, "Link my friend, you're talking to someone that goes where he wants without anyone knowing, the Lost Woods being an example. Slipping past others and them being none the wiser is an art that I've developed and have been practicing over the years." Marth paused for a moment then smirked, "And from what I see, these soldiers will be easier than those I normally skirt around. So yes, I got a few good ideas to get past these men and not be found and tossed out which is likely what they would do to us if they catch sight of us."

Luka didn't much like the tone or what thoughts came to her mind with what Marth said. She had already been forced to find out that he was fairly good at getting into trouble and that wasn't nice. She felt that her partner was about to step into a place that could be trouble and so, Luka floated into Marth's field of vision, "Marth, you better not get anyone hurt in your plan," she warned.

Marth waved off the fairy as her worrying was not needed since he didn't do serious harm to others that he was around intentionally. "I won't, so quit your worrying," he replied. Luka held in the irritation at being waved off by Marth as he was doing though she hadn't expected him to do much else. Meanwhile, Marth twisted his head to look at Link, "Follow my lead my friend," he paused and rubbed his hands together, "Ooo, this will be fun."

Marth crept forward quietly stopped at the greenery and waited as the guard walked by. The guard looked almost bored as he continued his path which made up his patrol and not paying the best attention. Marth put a finger to his lips and then snuck forward a distance behind the guard not making a sound. As the guard turned the corner of a monument, Link and Marth kept going without drawing notice. Marth sneaked up to the next area and saw two guards walking circles, but Marth also noted that there was a wooden structure that had plants growing on it. The structure provided a path around or rather over the guards and not be seen and Marth would take that.

So Marth led the way up the wooden structure with Link following and then the two walked across the center beam. Once to the other side the two slide down one after the other having bypassed the two guards. The next second was a hedge maze with three guards patrolling and much like the other guards with the looked rather bored with what they were doing. Marth silently told Link to watch him by pointing at Link then at his own eyes with a knowing look. Marth darted forward and kept out of sight of the closest guard and hid behind a hedge farther ahead. Link followed Marth and the two slowly worked their way forward past the guards with none of them being the wiser.

After getting past all the guards, Link and Marth came to a small courtyard with three windows, one on the far-side of the area and then the other two on the left and right. Marth and Link slowly made their way forward looking around them taking in the scene. There was a girl at the far window and like the one the two had encountered yesterday, looked to be link then in age. She was the same height as Link and had blonde hair that was a lighter shade than Link's was. She was dressed fancier than either boy had seen any dressed before in a gown that had white, pink and lavender colors. The girl also had what looked like an ordainment including earrings and a simple lavender band around her head with veil down the back.

Marth and Link approached the girl and she turned when she heard footsteps and was surprised at seeing the two boys. "What," the girl exclaimed, "Who," she hesitated, "who are you two?" Neither Link or Marth said anything, simply looked at each other with slightly confused expressions. The girl kept staring, looking a tad worried, "How did you get past the guards," she asked.

Link looked away while Marth rolled his eyes at the question asked. Marth had found sneaking past the castle guards easier than not being caught going into the Lost Woods. And from what Marth had read, guards were supposed to prevent intruders which those Link and he had gotten past were doing horribly at. So, that Link and he had gotten passed them so easily showed that the guards were lacking in Marth's mind.

The girl on the other hand, quickly spotted the two glowing balls of light floating next to the boys. It was possible that those were fairies and the girl really hoped that they were as that would be a good omen. She didn't believe the boys were here to hurt her, and even if they somehow were, Impa would disable them before they could. The dream she had occupied her mind and these boys could be a sign that the dream was as she believed a prophecy. Her father has dismissed it as unlikely, but not all had done so, even if many had. Those within Hyrule's Knighthood had agreed and sided with her father, but Impa and the Sheikah Clan believed her. So, if the boys were in fact an element from her dream, then perhaps there was still some time to work with. "Are those," the girl started, "Are those fairies?"

She wanted to be sure before she decided to trust these two that had snuck past the guards with all that was going on. They both nodded at the question to which the girl continued, "Then are you two from the forest?" The two nodded again and the hope that the girl had grew a great deal at confirming the two facts. If they really were from the forest, then they could have the Spiritual Stone and that would mean they were here to help. "Then," the girl paused, "then you wouldn't happen to have the spiritual stone of the forest, would you? It's a green shining stone that the guardian of the forest had in its possession."

Marth and Link looked at each other again as the girl seemed to be referring to the emerald that the Great Deku Tree had given them. "Spiritual Stone," questioned Marth, "I don't think either of us know anything about that," Link nodded in agreement with Marth but he took out the emerald the Great Deku Tree gave them. "But this is the 'green shining stone' as you said that we got from another," Marth answered pointing to the emerald.

The girl smiled at seeing the Spiritual Stone of the forest even if the boys didn't know it by that reference. And it showed that these two were involved in the prophecy that she had seen in her sleep, she had no further doubts. "It is just as I thought," she stated which drew the attention of Marth and Link. "I had a dream," the girl began, "In the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule." Her expression had fell at telling of the dream as most of those she had told it to before had not believed her.

Yet, when she came to the part that she believed involved the two boys, a soft smile came to her face. "But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds and lit up the ground. The light turned into two figures carrying with a green shining stone, followed by fairies," she said. The girl looked intently at the boys, "I knew this was a prophecy and you two would come from the forest proves that to me."

Marth and Link didn't exactly know what to think with this girl, she was definitely different than any other they had come across. What she had said was similar enough to what the Great Deku Tree had told the it was hard not to believe that she might know something. Both of them wanted answers to questions they had and neither had come up with any good ones yet. "You two appearing makes me think perhaps that hope is still burning for Hyrule and the Goddesses haven't abandoned us."

"Uh," Marth uttered, "Not to be rude, but my friend and I still don't even know your name and we haven't even given ours."

The girl blinked realizing that the boy who had just spoken was right. She had been so deep in thoughts about the prophecy that she had forgone manners. "Oh, I'm sorry, I did get carried away with my story and didn't even properly introduce myself," she admitted, "I am Zelda, princess of Hyrule, and what are your names?"

Link was kind of stunned and Marth was somewhat surprised as they had bumped into the 'princess' they had been looking for and hadn't even known it. Marth was the first to get his mind back on track, "My name is Marth," he replied and pointed at his friend, "And his name is Link."

The one that had introduced himself as Marth was seemingly upfront from what Zelda could tell and that was fine. The other boy was quieter as he hadn't said anything by what she had heard yet. However, the two seemed to have a bond between them that words were not needed all the time, and Zelda could only imagine what could have happened to form that. Zelda didn't have many friends, it was one part of being a princess that wasn't nice. Impa and some of the Sheikah Clan were the only ones that she could call friends in her mind.

Zelda refocused on the two boys, "Link and Marth you say," Zelda posed, "The names have a pleasant ring to them." The two needed to know what was at stake show the prophecy Zelda had seen came to pass. "Well then, let me tell you the secret of the Sacred Realm that has been passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule, but please, keep this a secret from everyone else both of you."

Link and Marth nodded at being asked to keep the secret as they both had no issue keeping things to themselves. At their agreement, Zelda continued, "The legend goes like this," she began. "The three goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the gods somewhere in Hyrule. With it possessing the power to grant the wish the one who holds the Triforce in their hands, it had to be hidden away."

Like with the story with the Great Deku Tree, whispers came to Marth's mind saying things that he couldn't understand. However, they weren't disagreeing as much with what was being said this time, but still that something wasn't right or was missing. "If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity," Zelda said, "However, if someone with an evil mind has their wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil. That is what has been foretold by many and the history of Hyrule reflects that even if not clearly."

There had been much fighting and killing for those that wanted to obtain the power the Triforce could give. Zelda had been taught about the untold history of Hyrule that iterated some of the attempts of evil individuals acquiring power for themselves and the mess they left for that. And Zelda feared that another attempt would soon be made and many lives would be lost because of it. "So the ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from evil ones," she iterated. "That's right, the Temple of Time is the entrance through which you can enter the Sacred Realm from our world."

The fact that the large structure that Marth and Link had seen was the way to get to this Sacred Realm that they had been told about was weird to them. But neither questioned what they were being told as Zelda continued, "But the entrance is sealed with a stone wall called the Door of Time. And in order to open the door, it is said you need to collect three Spiritual Stones."

"Of which the jewel we have is one of these Spiritual Stones," inquired Marth.

Zelda nodded, "Yes, it is, yet another thing needed is the treasure that the Royal Family keeps along with this legend, the ocarina of time." She felt that she could somehow trust Link and Marth, though she couldn't say exactly why. However, there were so few that she felt that with and time was of the essence, "Do both of you understand what I have been telling you?"

Both Link and Marth nodded in reply to which Zelda smiled, then she remembered what she had been doing before the two had popped up. "I forgot to tell you two, I was spying through this window before you both came. The other element from my dream was the dark clouds, I believe they symbolize that man in there," she said point at the window she had been looking through. Zelda then stepped aside to allow access to the window, "Take a look through the window, please, if you two don't hurry, he'll be gone."

Both Marth and Link moved forward to the window looked through it as Zelda had asked them to do. On the other side they saw a dark-skinned man walking forward on red carpet with soldiers lining it. The man was tall and well-built overall by what either could tell from their position. What they could see of the man's face, they saw that he had a long beak-like nose, with his eyebrows being directly connected to his hair. His eyes were yellow which matched what was stated in the books Marth had read that people from the desert regions tended to have. However, there was also a tint of red with the pupils and that unnerved both Link and Marth.

The outfit that the man was in was made up of black shoulder armor, hand gauntlets and knee armor with gold spikes and a gold jewel as well as brown outer armor. All the armor had intricate designs throughout most of it as well as white desert arm, leg, and chest cloths with blue and red lines on them. The man also had a cape of some sort with the whole outfit that was red in color.

"Can you see the man with the evil eyes," Zelda asked as Marth and Link kept staring at the man.

Link swallowed but said nothing, while Marth nodded, "Yeah, hard to miss that," Marth shook his head a bit, "Don't know how others are missing it, just staring at him is making me on edge."

"That is Ganondorf, the leader of the Gerudo," Zelda stated, "They hail from the desert far to the west." Marth had read about the desert regions that bordered Hyrule and hadn't given them much thought other than the history book that he had gotten had mentioned trouble came from those areas from time to time. After seeing the dark-skinned man Ganondorf as Zelda had called him, that point made more sense if other from that area were like him. Zelda kept going, "Though he swears allegiance to my father the King, I am sure he is not sincere."

Neither Marth or Link said anything, their eyes still flicking back to Ganondorf intermittently. Zelda noticed this and understood their wariness of the man as it was the same feeling she had about him. Ganondorf was not to be trusted and was dangerous no matter what he said or what anyone else claimed about him. Zelda only wished her father would listen to her and others that could see the horror that Ganondorf threatened to bring. "The dark clouds that covered Hyrule in my dream, they must symbolize that man," Zelda said firmly.

It was just after Zelda had said that which Ganondorf looked towards the window and noticed the two boys starting at him. What two boys were doing watching he didn't know, but it mattered not. He was fooling the king of Hyrule into believe that he was here on an errand of peace. His goal was to obtain the Triforce for himself and conquer this land and have it all to himself. Tricking the king was Ganondorf's back up plan to get to the Triforce as his attempt to get the Spiritual stones weren't going as he wanted them to.

Three of his servants had been working on it, but recently he had found out that Gohma had been defeated. Her failure implied that someone else could have the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. Ganondorf would have that looked into later when there was the time and time was on his side. The Gorons would fold give time as would the Zoras, his position was good and only the young princess of Hyrule spoke out against him openly. And Ganondorf didn't fear the girl, few listened to her anyways and that worked in his favor.

Marth and Link drew back a bit when Ganondorf looked at them, "What happened," Zelda asked, "Did he see you two?"

Link nodded, and Marth vocalized his thoughts, "Yeah I'm pretty sure that he saw us," Marth shivered a bit, "But the expression he gave said we were like bugs in his eyes."

Zelda agreed with Marth's assessment, Ganondorf saw most others as far less than himself. Impa and others from the Sheikah Clan had said similar things to her and it was one of the points that caused Zelda to distrust the man so much. "Don't worry, he doesn't have any idea what we're planning yet," Zelda assured.

Link and Marth blinked at Zelda saying she had a plan, "So uh, you have a plan for taking on that Ganondorf," Marth questioned, "Shouldn't others be helping with that?"

Zelda frowned at the question, "Yes," she hesitated, "When I told my father and others about my dream, most didn't believe it to be a vision of things that are to come." She wished more believed her and saw that Ganondorf was fooling them, but only few and seen the truth. "Yet, I can sense that man's evil intentions and I know that I'm not the only one that can feel them." Zelda's gaze fell, "What Ganondorf is after must be nothing less than the Triforce of the Sacred Realm."

Link and Marth looked at each other, "I suppose that would fit," Marth admitted.

"Yeah," Link agreed.

"He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it," Zelda insisted, "And with it he would conquer Hyrule," she stopped at realizing it wouldn't stop with just Hyrule, "no, the entire world would fall." She looked back up at the two boys, "Link, Marth, we are among those that can protect Hyrule and can see the truth as it is! Please," she begged.

Marth and Link took a moment to consider what the princess was suggesting and even begging them to help in. They had both fought against what could be considered an evil creature with Gohma, no denying that. But this was going to be more than that and both Link and Marth could see that. And yet, neither felt for a second the urge to back down from this, so they nodded at Zelda in answer. She was glad that she had judged these two boys correctly, they would be able to help in this she was sure, "Thank you, I knew I could count on both of you," she said.

The thoughts of what Ganondorf could possibly be planning came back to haunt Zelda's mind as they had often enough. Impa and other had been working unseen to curtail things but that may not be enough, and Zelda knew that. "I… I am afraid," Zelda started, "I have a feeling that man is going to destroy Hyrule, he has such terrifying power." Zelda and others had seen the power that Ganondorf had with the 'magic' he had to work with. Those displays had scared her as the magic he had used was either dark or tainted. But with Link and Marth, things could change and maybe lives could be saved. "And yet, that's why it's fortunate that you two have come," Zelda said.

"I'm sorry," Marth spoke, "but what difference can we make in this that others wouldn't? I mean yes, we have this stone you say is special, but how does that help us take on Ganondorf?"

Link nodded in agreement with Marth, yet Zelda had a counter argument for this, "Because together we can get to what he wants first. We must not let Ganondorf get the Triforce," she stated. "I will protect the Ocarina of Time with all my power, he shall not have it. However, while I do you two need to go and find the other two Spiritual Stones." Zelda paused and calmed down a bit then focused back on Marth and Link, "Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does, with it we will be able to defeat him."

Zelda didn't like she was placing so much expectation on these two who she wanted to call friends and doing so little herself. Then an idea came to her for a way that she might help them, which had her taken out some paper that she had with her along with a quill. "By the way, one more thing," Zelda said scrawling a few lines on the page, "Take this letter with you, I'm sure it will help you two along your way." Marth took the letter and put it into his bag for later looking over before Zelda spoke again, "My attendant Impa will show you the way out."

Marth and Link turned and saw a woman that hadn't been there before when they came in after getting past the guards. The woman looked to be in her prime years of her life and was of average height for a Hylian woman. She had short silver hair and red eyes were different and set her apart as a member of the Sheikah Clan who served Hyrule's Royal Family. She was wearing a light breastplate that had purple sleeves and purple shorts along with plated greaves.

Impa was not just the protector that Princess Zelda's life was entrusted with, a high honor that was, but she was also the current leader of the Sheikah Clan. She had been watching the interaction between the princess and the two boys from the shadows. The boys had shown cunning and resourcefulness getting past the guards and to the princess. Although the guards were getting laxer than they once were. Those in Hyrule's Knighthood were not like that thankfully, but even they were not as prepared as they would need to be. And should the princess's prophecy come to pass or rather when, those unprepared would unlikely live through what would come.

However, from what she had seen, these two boys were different than others and as they believed the princess, they would be of help. As the boys approached her, she bowed slightly to them, "I am Impa of the Sheikah Clan. I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda. Everything is exactly as the princess foretold you both," she said. "You have proven that you two are courageous boys alone and together. And now you set out on a journey to face evil and save the land."

"So it would seem," Marth replied, "Though neither of us asked to do this."

Link smiled, "Like that has stopped us before now," he said.

Marth snickered, "True enough my friend, we do tend to answer calls for help without much thought about ourselves, don't we," he posed.

Impa had to admit that these two boys were quite a pair, and their friendship had carried them far and would no doubt carry them farther still. And Hyrule needed such strong bonds, more so with the darkness that was coming upon it. "My role in the princess's dream was to teach a melody to the ones from the forest," Impa said bring the boys' attention back to her. "The melody I will teach you is an ancient one passed down by the Royal Family. I also have played this song for Princess Zelda as a lullaby ever since she was a baby. There is mysterious power in these notes, now both of you listen carefully."

Impa began whistling a tune to which Link and Marth listened, and the tune was unlike anything either had heard before. Yet after Impa had whistle the tune, she looked to Marth and Link expectantly. The two took that as to get something out to play the tune back to the woman so Link took out the ocarina he had gotten from Saria and Marth took out his flute. The two played the tune together and both their fairy partner were sort of impressed at how well the two could play the instrument they did.

Once done learning the tune, Impa thought it better that the boys do not go out the same way they came in. So, she decided that she would lead them out and that way the guards wouldn't argue or be shown to be derelict in their duties. "If the castle soldiers find you two, there will be trouble," Impa said, "Let me lead you out of the castle."

The group did get some curious and odd looks as Impa led out Link and Marth from the Castle interior. Most of the soldiers wondered what the two boys were doing inside the castle but the moment they saw Impa then dismissed the boys' presence as none of their business. Impa didn't stop outside of Hyrule Castle but kept leading the two until they came to be outside of Castle Town. Once there, Impa faced the two that the Princess had entrusted the fate of the land to, "You brave boys, all of us that are able must protect this beautiful land of Hyrule, you both are included," she started. Impa pointed in the direction of Death Mountain and Kakariko Village which was at its base, "Take a good look at the mountain. That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons and they hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire."

Marth and Link looked at the mountain that had a ring-shaped cloud above it. The task of retrieving the two other Spiritual Stones was not going to be easy, both came to that conclusion. However, it was still sinking in what the task itself could really involve to the minds of the two boys. Link was silent thinking, unlike Marth who spoke his mind, "Uh, that cloud around the mountain's top, does that mean that it is a volcano," he asked.

Impa nodded, "Indeed, Death Mountain is a volcano though it hasn't been active for a while now," she replied. Then Impa continued on with the advice she would give to these two, "At the foot of Death Mountain, you will find the village called Kakariko, which is where I was born and raised. You two should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up to Death Mountain to get more information."

The suggestion from Impa sounded like a good place to start as neither knew anything about the mountain. Marth only knew what he had read about the Goron race and that was not much to go on. Impa spoke again drawing the boys out of their thoughts, "Understand, the song you two just learned has mysterious power as I said. Only members of the Royal Family and trusted individuals know it, so it will serve as proof of connection to the Royal Family for you two."

Both Link and Marth nodded at the point though neither really saw the song as having mysterious power as claimed. But then, much had changed for the both of them recently from they had thought true that had turned out different. "The princess will be waiting for you both to return to the castle with the stones. Time is of the essence so be swift and know many are counting you lads to do your utmost," Impa stated.

Link and Marth turned to glance in the direction of the Village that Impa suggested they visit on their way to see the Gorons. When they did, Impa took the opportunity to use the skills she had to vanish and return to the princess. When Link and Marth found that the woman had disappeared, they looked at each other. "I take that as we are done talking," Marth said, "So then, should we be off Link?"

Link nodded, "Yes, let's go."

The two boys walked off towards Kakariko Village at the foot of Death Mountain starting the next step in their journey. Neither knowing what exactly they would face, but they would stand together.

**A/n**

**Okay, I'll leave off there and continue from there in the next chapter. So, if it isn't obvious yet, Marth is smarter than he looks and walks the path he chooses and doesn't let others tell him what to do. This will come up often enough especially with Luka as it annoys her even when she doesn't say that out loud. And yes, Marth has a mischievous side that comes out ever once and a while and will be a source of humor off and on. Link has learned to ignore Marth's quirks and that's why he rolls with what Marth does sometimes. Anyways, some of you write a review and tell me what you think, see you next chapter.**


	3. The Spiritual Stone of Fire

**A/n **

**Here is the next chapter, hoping you like this story!**

Chapter 3: The Spiritual Stone of Fire

Link and Marth had crossed the river that ran in front of them and then went up the stairs that supposedly led to the village Impa told them about. And at the top of the stairs, the two looked around taking in the village around them as it was different from Hyrule Castle Town. The houses and buildings were less fancy and made out of mostly wood instead of stonework and elegant decorations. The first structure that stood out from the rest was the windmill that was at the far side from the entrance of the town. The paddles of the mill were huge to both of the boys and this was the first windmill either had seen.

The rest of the town was made up of six structures in the total spread at the foot of the mountain. Two were on the eastern side from the entrance, the smaller of the two nearer than the other. The next two were in the center of the town slightly to the left of the line of the windmill. The farther of the two was made of bricks and had a blue roof on in. The last two structures were right next to the trail up to the mountain and had a kind of watchtower in front of them.

After a few minutes Link spoke, "So Marth, where do we go from here," he asked.

Marth looked at his friend, "Well, that Impa lady said it would be a good idea to talk to the people that living here. We need to see the Gorons for one of the stones Zelda asked us to get," he iterated. "Yet, I feel it won't be so easy as just asking if what we did for the Great Deku Tree is anything to go by. Plus, I don't know much about the Goron race other than the few things I've read and they wouldn't be the most helpful."

"It sounds like we need to get more information, so then split up to get some more," posed Link.

Marth nodded, "Sounds like a plan to me, meet back here by that tree," Marth said pointing at the tree that was in the center of town.

The two boys went off with their fairy partners flying right behind them as they started exploring and gathering information. Link went left towards the side of the village that was by the mountain, while Marth went right. An hour went by before the two met back up at the tree they had agreed upon earlier to share their findings. "So," Marth began, "What did you learn Link?"

Link shrugged, "Not a great deal other than the Gorons aren't being the most friendly lately and no one seems to know why," he said.

Marth nodded, "Yeah, I got that impression too and those around the castle have been asked to help with that, but nothing has really been done." Marth was thoughtful, "The only way to figure out what is going on that I see is to go visit these Gorons and get their story and put things together from there."

Navi landed on Link's shoulder, "And so you say we should just go up the mountain without any further preparation," she asked.

Marth looked at the fairy, "Do you have any better suggestions Navi," he posed daring her to come up with an answer.

Navi took a moment to think and then an idea came to her, "Why not go back to the Kokiri Forest and talk to Saria and get another opinion?"

Marth blinked at Navi's reply and couldn't think of a retort to the fairy's suggested. He hadn't thought that she would come up with a reply to his challenge so Marth hadn't been prepared for it. Link gained a smile at seeing his friend be at a loss for words since it was rather rare. "That sounds like a good idea," remarked Link.

Marth twisted his head to look at Link and accepted that he was going to have to admit that Navi had a point. "Okay, sure," Marth replied, "And stop your smiling Link with Navi getting the better of me, I am not able to find a reply for the moment, she caught me off guard, that's all."

The two turned and left Kakariko Village and began their journey back to Kokiri Forest which took the majority of the day to trek there. Coming to the place that was akin to home for Link and Marth felt different than the two thought it would. It wasn't like they did know any of the Kokiri less than when they left days earlier, but there was definitely a difference. The boys did go by Saria's house but found that she wasn't around there which was kind of odd. What was odder still was that when Link and Marth looked around, Saria didn't seem to be around the Kokiri Village.

It was Marth that caught the sound of the song that Saria would often play coming to his ears that got his head to turn toward the Lost Woods. Luka noticed that Marth was looking towards the Lost Woods, "Marth, what are you doing," she asked.

"The sound of the song that Saria plays often is coming from the Lost Woods," Marth stated. "That suggests to me that she is likely somewhere in the Lost Woods herself for whatever reason."

Link and Navi came up to where Marth and Luka were, "Any luck with finding Saria," Link questioned.

Marth nodded slowly, "Maybe, I hear that tune that she's playing a lot softly coming from the Lost Woods. So, I think she could be somewhere in there," he answered.

Link sighed at what Marth was suggesting, "Marth, it is called the Lost Woods for a reason you know," he commented.

Marth smiled at his friend, "Then isn't it a good thing that I happen to know my way around the Lost Woods so that we won't get lost within them," he posed with confidence.

Link knew that he couldn't argue with Marth or his claim to knowing the Lost Woods like he probably did with his explorations of it. And it wasn't that Link didn't trust Marth meant what he said about Saria and the Lost Woods, he just didn't like the feel of the place himself. So, Link just gestured for Marth to lead the way, to which Marth nodded and began heading for the entrance to the Lost Woods.

The Lost Woods was eerie as the two boys entered, filled with mist that was so effective at getting travelers lost. The forest wasn't silent though as the sound of music was coming from deeper in and it was the same tune that Saria played. Marth stayed in the lead, striding with confidence clearly knowing where he was going within the forest. Link tried to keep up with the turns they took as they went deeper into the Lost Woods, but he wasn't able to do so long and just followed Marth.

Marth kept leading the way deeper into the Lost Woods, following the tune of Saria's song. He was also keeping track of where they were, and noted that they were getting close to the hedge maze he had found within the last year. Marth also recalled there were some sort of ruins beyond the maze though he didn't go that far. He wondered if Saria could be in the grove in front of the ruins as he had found the place very relaxing.

It wasn't long before the four got to the forest hedge maze which happened to have Deku Shrubs inhabiting it. Link and Marth dealt with the creatures in the maze as they moved forward towards the grove on the other side. Navi and Luka just couldn't get over the surprise of how well Link and Marth worked together nor how natural the point seemed to be. It was clear that the idea wasn't a fluke as it happened often with the two and not just in fighting creatures and monsters. In all the time they two fairies had lived, they had never seen anything quite like what Link and Marth had. After crossing the maze Link and Marth came into the grove and sitting on a stump on the far side was none other than Saria. The two approached the girl slowly, not knowing what to exactly think.

Saria stopped playing her tune when the sound of footsteps came to her ears. When she looked up, she saw Link and Marth coming up and she couldn't stop the smile that came to her at seeing her friends. Saria had missed Link and Marth after they left, things hadn't been the same after they had gone off. So, to see them again and that they were okay was wonderful to Saria, "It's good to see you two again," she greeted.

Marth and Link nodded, "The same to you," Marth replied, "though what are you doing out here? I mean, I come out here but few others do."

Link sighed at Marth's admittance of going into the Lost Woods so carefree, "You can ignore his comment about him being out here like it is nothing Saria," Link said. "But Marth does bring up a good point about you being out here."

Saria hesitated for a moment before answering, "I find this grove a peaceful place and lets me think without distraction." She then focused back on her friends, "So, what has you two looking for me?"

Marth sighed not wanting to admit that Navi had gotten the better of him even if she had, "Well," he started. "Navi thought it would be a good idea to get a second opinion about some things, and I can't exactly disagree with that."

Saria laughed at how Marth didn't like to admit when he was wrong or when another thought of an idea that he didn't. He had always been that way as long as she had known him, Link wasn't like that though. The two certainly made a unique pair and Saria had seen that point over and over again. Saria took a moment to calm down before she replied, "I am always willing to give my opinion to you if it can help you on your journey."

Marth and Link looked at one another and then began the explanation of what they found themselves in with helping Princess Zelda. Saria was honestly surprised at what they told her, it was like some of the stories that she had heard. And yet, her two friends were telling her what they had been doing and she believed them. She had always thought that Link and Marth were going to do great things, but saving the land wasn't what she had imagined.

Once the two had finished their tale, they when quiet, leaving her to think. Truthfully, their task to retrieve the two "spiritual stones" as they had called them was a daunting one. Saria herself hadn't heard of these spiritual stones before now. And to find out that the Great Deku Tree had possessed one was news to her. She had been told of the other races of the land by the Great Deku Tree and by Marth himself from the books he somehow got to read. There was little information between the two sources about either the Hylians, Gorons, or Zoras. However, in this grove, Saria had noticed that whispers of what could be happening else did come and that could help her friends.

"Well, there may be a way I can help you both," Saria started. "Although I would have to teach the song I was playing."

There was a moment of silence, "Okay, how would that help us," asked Marth.

Saria smiled, "The tune is a special one, for it allows communication over the wind which would reach most places."

Neither boy said anything in reply to what Saria had said since they couldn't think of what to say to her statement. The idea of talking with someone a distance away was kind of strange to both Marth and Link. Then again, the other song they had learned from Zelda's attendant Impa was supposed to have special powers, so who was to say that Saria's song didn't have unique qualities too. "So then, we play the song and we should be able to talk to you," Marth questioned to make sure he had heard right.

Saria nodded and brought up her ocarina, which was a signal for Link to bring out the one she gave him and Marth to get out his flute. Saria played her tune slowly so that Marth and Link would learn the notes to the song. It took a few times for them to get the tune, but they did get the melody of the song. After learning the song the three did talk for a bit catching up on some things before Link and Marth headed back to the Kokiri Village. They stayed in their own houses for the night which hadn't changed in the days since leaving them.

The next morning Link and Marth woke up and headed out of the forest and trekked back to Kakariko Village. Once there, they went to the gate that was on the path to Death Mountain which the gate had been close the last time Link and Marth had been around. And when they came into view of the gate it was still clearly closed and there was a guard to the left of the gate. Since Marth and Link knew that they needed to go up the mountain to obtain the Spiritual Stone of Fire, they approached the guard.

The guard watched as the two boys approached him wondering what they were doing. Their appearance clearly said they weren't local, their clothing was different from any that he had seen. Still, when they came up to be in front of him, the guard stopped them, "The road is closed beyond this point," the guard stated, "have you not read the sign over there?"

Marth and Link glanced at the wood sign that the guard gestured at and saw that it said that passage beyond the gate was forbidden. Of course, that was beside the point with the job they had tasked to them. Then the guard spoke again after looking at Marth and Link, "Eh? Oh, I see, you are both still young and probably can't read yet, ha ha ha," the guard laughed.

Link ignored the comment from the guard though it was incorrect. Marth had taught Link how to read and write after learning himself. Marth wasn't pleased with the guard implying that their ages meant they couldn't do basic skills. Marth could read better than any other Kokiri and unbeknownst to him, better than many adults. However, they both knew that correcting the guard would do little to help their task. Marth then remembered the paper that Zelda had given them to help them in their task. So he tapped Link's shoulder and whispered to get out the page that Zelda gave them.

Link nodded and took out the page and showed it to the guard, "What is this you are showing me now," the guard asked in an almost bored tone. He took a look at the paper and his eyes went wide as he saw and recognized Princess Zelda's handwriting. "This page," the guard uttered, "this surely is Princess Zelda's handwriting!" The guard read the page and didn't know whether to laugh or take it seriously with what it said.

This is Link and Marth, they are under my orders to save Hyrule and are to be permitted to do what is seen as necessary.

The guard began to laugh a bit, "What kind of game is our princess coming up with now," the guard asked himself. The princess was a nice girl but she did get some odd or unusual ideas into her sometimes. And if these boys had been caught up in that, it wasn't the guard's station to question that. "Okay, Okay," the guard started, "You two can go now, just do be careful little heroes."

The guard tapped his spear on the ground a few time and after he did, the gate opened allowing access to the Death Mountain Trail. "By the way little heroes," the guard spoke, "If you are going to climb Death Mountain, you should equip yourselves with proper shields. It is a volcano after all and wood will do little to protect you from flaming rocks." The guard thought a moment, "Think about going back to Castle Town and check out the Bazaar, they have shields that will work. You can tell them I sent you and they should give you a special discount."

Link and Marth nodded and passed through the gate and began climbing the trail up the mountain. There were a few creatures they had to deal with along the way but none of the creatures were beyond their capabilities. The two did see there was a large boulder against the mountain and by it, they saw a creature neither had seen before.

The creature was shaped similar to Hylians overall, but the proportion was different which were much more hulking. Marth was sure that what he and his friend were looking at was in fact, a Goron and it was the first that Marth had seen himself. The Goron was supposed to be a rock-eating race that tended to dwell in mountains by what Marth had read. The size of the Goron was double what the guard's height had been and three or four times what Link and Marth himself were. However, they were supposed to be a peaceful race not attacking unless they were attacked first.

The Goron was brown in color and from what Marth had read, were assumed to be like rocks in many ways with the physical attributes. That included their strength which was supposed to be enormous and with the muscles, this Goron had Marth could believe that. The question that Marth had was how Link and he would be able to get the Spiritual Stone of Fire from them.

The two boys kept going up the trail and came to a carved opening in the rock which looked to be an entrance. And when Link and Marth entered, they were amazed when they came into the Goron's city within the mountain. The city was separated into three levels which the entrance was on the highest of the three. On the top level were ropes that held up a platform suspended in the center and looked to have been for displaying something but there was nothing there now. On the second level, there were a few corridors that led off from the main path to places that neither Link nor Marth could see. And on the bottom level was a giant vase that was rotating around the floor that looked to be modeled after the Goron's themselves.

Link and Marth began looking around and didn't seem to be noticed much by the many Gorons they passed by. The two worked their way down to the bottom floor where what looked like a shop was and a stone slab that seemed to be a door. At the shop Link was able to purchase a metal shield should he and Marth go further up the mountain. They then approached the stone slab that seemed to be like a door.

Marth reached out and touched the slab and nothing happened, "Well, what do we do now," he asked.

Link said nothing but a Goron saw the two boys and walked over to them, "What are you two doing," he asked.

Marth and Link turned to the Goron, "What's beyond this slab," questioned Marth.

"That's the Boss's room," said the Goron, "And Darunia is waiting for the messenger from Hyrule's Royal Family. Be best not to bother him if you know what's best."

The Goron walked away after saying what he had leaving Marth and Link where they were. What the Goron said stuck in Marth's mind, especially the words "messenger" and "Royal Family". It reminded him of the words that the woman named Impa had said about the song she had taught Link and Marth. "Hey Link," Marth said, 'What would you think if we played that song that Zelda's attendant taught to us?"

Link stared at Marth for a moment, "Okay, what would that do for us," he asked.

Marth put a finger to his chin, "What that Goron said has me thinking," he mused, "Their boss is waiting for someone from the Royal Family. Zelda did ask us to do all we could to complete the task she gave us, did she not?"

Link was still not following what Marth was getting at, "And how does playing that song help us?"

Marth sighed at how his friend could at times be bad at getting a hint, "That lady from before told us that the song showed a connection to the Royal Family Link. The Goron boss is waiting for someone from the Royal Family," Marth stated. "Put the two together Link, that song will likely get us inside and moving forward."

Link nodded and got his ocarina out while Marth took out his flute and they played what Impa had called "Zelda's Lullaby". After the song ended the stone slab raised up into the rock revealing a room beyond. With the stone slab gone, Marth and Link walked into a room and found the largest Goron that either had seen. The issue that Marth saw was the Goron didn't look happy at all to see him or his friend. If anything, the Goron was mad that they had come through the door and not someone else. "What the heck," grumbled the large Goron, "Who are the two of you?!"

Link and Marth didn't reply right away as the Goron was clearly displeased to see the two of them. "When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I expected their messenger had arrived, but you two are just little kids!" The Goron wasn't giving either of the boys a chance to say anything as he went on, "Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother the King?" There was a slight break in the rant, but then Darunia continued, "Now I'm REALLY angry! You two get out of my face before I throw you out!"

Marth was the one that found his voice first, "Now wait a moment sir," he began. "We're not here to cause trouble."

Link nodded, "That's right," he said, "Tell us what is going on and maybe we can help."

"Are you asking me why I'm in such a bad mood right now," growled Darunia, "Not like you kids would understand, but ancient creatures have infested the Dodongo's Cavern! Then we've had a poor harvest of our special crop bomb flowers."

Both the boys were taking in what Darunia was saying as there was an amount of information in the statement. Neither Marth or Link had heard of a place called Dodongo's Cavern before so that part didn't make sense. And Link had never heard of a bomb flower, though Marth had read about the plant, but never seen one himself until coming to Goron City. Darunia kept going, "There is starvation and hunger because of the rock shortage!" Darunia paused, "But this is a Goron problem, we don't need the help of strangers!"

It was clear that this Goron was not going to change his mind as things stood. There needed to be a change of mood or Marth and Link would make no progress in getting the Spiritual Stone. Link then had an idea since playing a song had worked with the stone slab, maybe it would work here. He started playing the song Saria taught Marth and him to see if that would help in this. Marth quickly caught on with what Link was doing and went along with his idea.

Then the most unexpected thing happened, and Darunia suddenly began dancing with the music being played. Link and Marth played a few verses of the song as it was changing the mood of the room. When the song came to its end, Darunia came to a stop and felt all the feelings of negativity leave him. "That was a heck of a tune," Darunia remarked, "Just like that, my depression was gone and something just came over me and I couldn't help but dance like crazy."

"Glad we could do something to help," Marth replied.

"I am Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons," he introduced, "Was there something you two wanted to ask me about?"

Link and Marth looked at each other for a moment, then back to Darunia, "Well, we're here to get the Spiritual Stone of Fire," Marth said while Link nodded.

"What, you two are here for it too," Darunia posed a tad annoyed. "The Spiritual Stone of Fire is also known as the Goron's Ruby, and is our race's hidden and prized treasure."

Marth and Link figured that getting either Spiritual Stone wouldn't be an easy task. The first one had been a challenge to get going through the Great Deku Tree and defeating the monster they had wasn't simple. But they had already come this far, so neither Link or Marth were going to give up on this quest. Darunia could see the stubborn determination in the eyes of both youths and thought for a moment, "You two are determined to obtain the Goron's Ruby then?" Both boys nodded, "Okay then, if you want it so badly, then why don't you two go and destroy the monsters inside of Dodongo's Cavern and prove you're real men?"

The idea was a win-win for all sides from what Darunia could see, and he wouldn't say no to that. The current problems would be solved and these boys could prove themselves trustworthy. "That way everybody will be happy again. If you do that, I will give you anything you want, even the Goron's Ruby," Darunia stated.

Darunia had a thought then, these two boys wouldn't be able to work with bomb flowers as they were right now and they would need to for the task they had. And the song they had played had cheered him up better than anything before now had. So, Darunia thought it would be fitting to give them a tool to work with and make it seem like a present. "I have something for both of you. I'm not really giving these to you in return for anything but take them anyway."

Marth and Link looked at the two objects that appeared to be small golden bracelets that kind of looked like a crown. Emblazoned on both bracelets was a symbol that was a diamond with three triangles below it pointing down in what could be a paw formation. "If you wear these even little guys like you will be able to pick up a bomb flower," Darunia said.

Link and Marth left Goron City after getting the bracelets trying to come up with a way to proceed. The giant boulder they had seen before was blocking their way into the place that Darunia called Dodongo's Cavern. Sure, now the two could use the odd plants that they now knew were what the Gorons called Bomb Flowers but using bombs without thought was dumb. So, Link and Marth split up to search for more information as to how they might get rid of the giant boulder that was blocking them. Marth went down to the trail while Link stayed high looking around the entrance of Goron City.

Link did find a bomb flower by a cliffside that when he looked below was the boulder. A bomb should do something to the boulder and Link didn't see anyone down below, so he picked the bomb and chucked it over the edge of the cliff. Marth was below looking around for options when he caught sight of something being thrown off the cliff higher up. Luka also noticed the object but couldn't identify what it was. Marth on the other hand, saw the sparks and smoke coming off of it and that told him what the object was a lit bomb.

Without further hesitation, Marth grabbed Luka and then sprinted to an opening in the rock a little way back from the boulder and dove into it. He hunkered down keeping Luka in his hand waiting for the blast that would come from the bomb. It was a few seconds later, the ground rumbled a bit as the bomb went off and there was the sound of debris hitting the path. Luka hadn't been the most pleased when Marth had grabbed her without a word, but the rumble and the blast got her to forgive her partner for what he did. As that object had been a bomb, Marth had saved her through his actions along with himself.

After the sound of rocks hit died down, Marth let go of Luka and peeked out from where they were to see if things were safe. Luka took a peek herself and things looked to have settled down after the explosion that had sent things flying. The boulder that had been blocking the cave was gone seeming to have been shattered and debris sent everywhere from it. With no rocks flying, Marth and Luka came out of their hiding spot and approached the cave entrance that was now open.

Marth suspected the bomb had been thrown by Link, and he didn't blame his friend for chucking the bomb. Link wouldn't have known that Marth was below close enough for the explosion to be a problem for Marth himself. And in the end, the cavern was now opened and they could enter it and that's what counted. So, Marth and Luka walked into the cave and saw a dead-end in front of them. Yet, Marth went to the far wall and took out his sword before tapping the wall with the pummel of his weapon. The sound of the metal hitting the wall sounded off to Marth which made him think the wall wouldn't hold against a bomb. And as it happened, there were bomb flowers on the sides of this cave, so Marth picked one and put it against the wall and ran for cover.

Luka followed Marth after he placed the bomb and after the blast, the two looked at the results and found an archway further into the cavern. Marth got up and looked into the way forward he had made trying to see what he and Link would be dealing with. And speaking of Link, he and Navi were coming up shortly after Marth opened the way forward. The two shared a nodded before both Link and Marth slowly walked into the place that the Gorons called Dodongos Cavern. Much of the interior was made up of rock and lava which actually gave some light for the cavern itself. The heat from the lava hit the two boys when they got farther in and it was more than either had expected it to be though it wasn't unbearable. The two looked around the room they had come into then back at each other, "So, how do we want to go about this," asked Marth.

Link shrugged, "Split up and then meet back up farther along," he said.

Marth nodded, "Sounds like a plan to work with," Marth replied. "I'll go left and you go right?"

"Good with me," Link agreed.

Marth and Link jumped to the center mesa in the room that was surrounded by the lava below. Link when right while Marth went left from there as corridors were leading off other the walls of the cavern. The first thing that Marth came across was a chest to his left and when he opened it he found it was the map of the cavern. Marth kept going this time to further in and found a boulder blocking a corridor. He quickly found a bomb flower and used it to remove the rock to reveal a way forward for him. Meanwhile, Link was working on the opposite side of the cavern and had advanced into a long narrow hallway from the main room. He encountered what appeared to be small lizards which turned out to explode after they were stuck.

Those weren't the only creatures that Link nor Marth came across as they explored the cavern. There were larger versions of the lizards and also what seemed to be living statues as well. At the end of the hallway that Link went down, he passed through the door and found himself in a room with several platforms surrounded by lava. Just as he leaped onto the nears platform there was a roar from the other side of the room. When Link looked in that direction he saw a lizard-like creature that was standing on two legs with a sword in its claws. Navi was quick to hover next to her partner and tell him what she knew about this creature, "That is a Lizalfos Link," she said.

Link knew he was going to have to fight and so he drew his sword and brought out his shield and readying himself. The lizalfos approached Link and didn't hesitate once getting to the same platform the boy was on and attacked him. Link blocked with his shield and pushed the monster back and then moved forward and slashed at the lizard. The hit the lizalfos took caused it to snarl in pain at Link and the monster tried to counter the boy, but Link flipped out of the way. The fight lasted for a few minutes yet Link won in the end and was able to keep moving forward.

At the same time, Marth crept into the room that was a hallway that the main cavern had opened into. In the room, there was what appeared to be a huge stone set of stairs but they were raised up high enough they couldn't be used. However, bomb flowers were growing around the stairs, Marth set those off and the result was that the stairs came down to the level he could make use of them. Not a moment after the blasts died down, Marth was climbing the stairs up to the second level of the cavern.

Once at the top of the stairs, Marth glanced around and found on a door in front of him and one behind him. Luka flew next to Marth looking at the two potential paths forward, "So, which way do we go from here," she asked.

Marth took a moment to think, "Well, either way, is as good as the other as I see it," he remarked, "So, forward I suppose would be the place to start."

Marth walked forward to the door ahead of him and passed through wondering what he would deal with. He had already had encounters with creatures that he had read about in books; like Dodongos, Armos and Lizalfos, what could be next? A moment after Marth entered the room, a lizalfos donned with armor came out of the shadow. The clinking of the metal armor alerted Marth who faced the direction of the oncoming lizard. Marth got out his sword and shield and stood his ground against the enemy coming at him. The lizalfos let out a screech and rushed forward and attacked Marth. Marth sidestepped the strike and used the opportunity to get in his own attack on his opponent. Yet, Marth's sword struck an armor plate and the clang that resulted got Marth to take a few steps back.

The armor that the lizalfos had would make this battle harder, Marth had figured that, but not as much as he was beginning to realize. The lizard was moving quicker than Marth thought it would with the extra weight the armor would be providing. Just slashing wouldn't work in this fight, Marth knew accuracy in the form of precision strikes would be what would win this. Especially since the swing and bang into the armor had gotten close to having Marth lose his grip on his sword. Marth prepared himself as the lizalfos rushed him again, swinging its blade at him as it passed. Marth leaped back and leaned out of the way of the blade's edge as it sailed past him. Then he was forced to flip backward as the lizalfos swung its tail around to try and strike Marth.

The lizalfos tried again to use its tail to hit the boy yet Marth jumped a bit and then slammed his boots down onto the monster's tail. The lizalfos roared in pain with its tail being stamped on and stopped attacking momentarily. Marth didn't waste the opportunity now that he had his opponent still but jabbed his sword forward at a space between the armor plates. He scored a stab between the plates which got the lizalfos to screech in pain and dance away from Marth.

Luka herself was impressed and proud that Marth was fighting as well as he was. His opponent was more than twice his size and had armor, yet Marth was holding his own. Not only that, if he kept up his efforts, he could win this fight and Luka had confidence in him with that. And Marth kept using his tail stomping trick to get in stabs at the lizalfos and each stab was slowing down the lizard.

After close to ten minutes, Marth made one final stab which had the lizalfos sink to the floor and vanished in blue fire. Also, just after the lizalfos was defeated, a chest appeared at the far side of the room from the door. Marth approached the box and looked it over carefully wondering what could be inside it. After a moment, Marth opened the chest and glanced inside and was kind of surprised by what he found. Inside the chest was a pair of white gloves that had red circles on the top with an odd design within them. Other than the odd circle and design, the gloves didn't look all that different than others, aside from being a tad fancier looking than most gloves Marth had seen.

Marth picked up the pair of gloves and inspected them closely, and Luka did hover close looking at the gloves as well. Marth was curious about what the gloves were for there was something about them that was different though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The material the gloves were made of was different in some ways as his scarf were and that got Marth's attention. "What are gloves doing in this cavern," questioned Luka.

Marth shrugged, "I don't know Luka," he replied, then he became thoughtful, "Yet, I can say these gloves aren't normal ones."

Luka stared at her partner, "What do you mean Marth," she asked, "Sure, that symbol on them is odd but other than that, they are white gloves."

Marth slipped on one of the gloves and flexed the fingers, trying to find out what the gloves could do. Nothing happened at first as Marth moved his hand in the glove and Luka was going to tell him they needed to get moving. However, before she could, Marth snapped his fingers and there was an explosion directly in front of the two. Both Marth and Luka jerked back a bit with the sudden explosion. Luka was breathing hard from the scare while Marth's gaze snapped down to the glove, his eyes widening a bit. He then pointed the glove at the other side of the room and snapped his fingers again, which resulted in another blast. A smile came to Marth's face at seeing the result, "Well, call me surprised and impressed, the gloves are more interesting than I imagined. Snap a set of fingers, you get an explosion," Marth mused, "I wonder."

Marth snapped his thumb and a different finger and instead of an explosion, flames came out of nowhere which quickly disappeared. He did the same with a different finger and thumb and a single small flame appeared above Marth's thumb. Marth had a smile set on his face as he looked back towards his fairy partner, "Still believe these gloves are normal gloves Luka," he posed.

Luka was a tad frustrated at how Marth was being right now, not his exploration with the gloves but at pointing out her skepticism. So, she folded her arms and didn't look at Marth, "No, the gloves aren't ordinary," she admitted.

Marth and Luka kept moving from there exiting the room the way they had entered and go through the other door. Meanwhile, Link had left the room he had fought the lizalfos in and proceeded forward. Within a few rooms, Link found large stair steps much as Marth had found unbeknownst to him. Link climbed the stairs up to the second level of the cavern and kept going until he found himself in a room similar to the one he fought a lizalfos in. And shortly after entering Link was forced to fight another lizalfos except this one had a shield where the one before hadn't. Link dispatched the monster much in the same fashion as the previous one to which Navi had to admit some respect. Link was a boy that was doing more than had ever been expected of him and the same could be said of Marth.

"Hey Navi," Link spoke up, "Do you think Marth and Luka are doing okay since we haven't seen them yet?"

Navi looked at her partner and pondered the question since she had been wondering the same thing. They hadn't seen Marth or Luka since they had separated and this cavern had proven a very dangerous place. Navi was sure that Luka would keep an eye on and help Marth the best she could. It was that Marth seemed to find trouble and think little of it that worried Navi, and that was a quality that she had been seeing signs of with the boy. "With them working together, I believe they will be fine and that we'll see then soon Link," Navi replied.

Link nodded slowly and the two continued making their way forward hoping to see their friends soon. In the next room, they came into, it was set up like a maze with traps and dangers to get past. However, as Link with the help of Navi navigated the room they came to a chest which when Link opened it, they found a bag that could carry bombs. And since bomb flowers were becoming harder to come by the further into the cavern they went, a supply of bombs would be helpful.

As Link and Navi pressed forward, Marth and Luka were brought to a halt by what could best be described as a fire monster of sorts. It looked to be made of fire other than a torso piece that Marth couldn't guess what it was made of. And the creature took to spinning around and throwing bombs around which Marth quickly made a distance from. Then Marth had an idea, which he quickly put to the test in the form of his newly acquired flame gloves pointing at the troublemaker and snapping his fingers to create an explosion. The effect was immediate the flames of the creature disappeared leaving the torso to drop to the floor. Marth rushed forward drawing his sword and slashing at the creature which had grown legs and was trying to run away. Marth repeated the pattern of creating an explosion and then slashing at the torso creature until it was defeated and exploded itself.

The two kept going from there hoping to meet up with Link and Navi soon as it had been some time since they split up. Marth and Luka came out into a hallway that had an illuminated room at the other end of it. The two kept going and they came out into the main room of the cavern only they were on the second level which had two bridges spanning from side to side. Marth looked around and still saw no sign of Link yet, so he started walking toward the far bridge to start searching for his friend.

However, as Marth stepped on to the bridge that had a door on the far side, that door opened and out of it came Link and Navi. A moment later, the gazes of Marth and Link met and they both smiled, "Link," Marth began, "I cannot tell you how good it is to see you."

The two began closing the distance between each other as Link replied, "I can say the same Marth, things have been harsh since we split up."

The two reached one another and clasped the other's arm, "I can agree with that my friend, monsters have been attacking me with little break," Marth remarked.

Link looked Marth over and notice that he had a pair of white gloves on his hands now that he had not had before. At the same time, Marth was glancing over Link and saw that he had a bag of a pouch that he hadn't when they had entered the cavern. Marth was the first to speak, "See you picked up something along your way my friend," he commented, "What did you find?"

"A bag that's for carrying bombs," Link answered, "And you got something new as well, what's with the gloves?"

Marth smirked while Luka glared at her partner, "These gloves are a neat item I picked up that can do stuff with fire, and I've been testing that point out since I got them," Marth replied.

Link felt that said testing had been different than what most would do with the same gloves, but didn't say anything in response. He knew that Marth always did things in his way and not necessarily in what others would do the same. Instead, Link glanced down at the large skull that was on the side of the cavern, "So, where to next," asked Link.

Marth was looking around trying to come up with an answer to the questions and took in that there were two gaps in the bridge they were on. And those gaps were right above the eye sockets of the skull below their current position. That couldn't be happenstance in Marth's mind and bomb flowers had been a much-used item in the cavern. "Hey Link," Marth started, "let's try dropping a bomb through one of the gaps in the bridge and see what happens."

Link stared at his friend and after a moment shrugged not knowing of another idea that would be better. So, Link took out a bomb and Marth snapped his fingers on his right hand and had a flame appear above his thumb and held it out for lighting the fuse. When the bomb was lit, Link dropped down one of the gaps and the two boys waited to see what would happen. Seconds after the bomb dropped to the skull there was a bang of the explosive going off and the skull socket it had been in glowing red. Both Marth and Link stared for a moment, "Well, I suppose that is something to work with," Marth mused.

Link nodded and got out another bomb to repeat the process for the other skull's eye socket to see what that would do. Just as the second socket glowed red rumbling started and the two were forced to grab onto the bridge to prevent themselves from falling. The staking stopped and the two rose to their feet and looked around to see if anything changed. Neither saw anything that different other than one of the platforms now rose up to the second level of the cavern. Marth waved for Link to follow and he headed for the platform that was coming up to the second level. The two rode the platform down and on the way, they saw that the giant skull's mouth had opened and there was a door that led deeper into the cavern.

Not a word was said, both Link and Marth simply continued forward through the door that the skull had revealed. The next room had a spot on the floor that looked weak and from what the map and compass that had been acquired said they needed to go that way. The large monster was below the room they were currently in, so that weaken section of floor fit the need of getting to the floor below. A simple bomb and fuse lit was placed before the two boys found cover and watched the explosive go off. After the smoke cleared, Marth and Link looked to where the weaken floor had been to see a hole to the area below.

Link and Marth approached the "hole" and found there was a rough stairway down to the room below meaning they wouldn't have to jump. So they proceeded down the stairs looking around as they went downward. Marth was not liking the look of the pool of lava below nor that the room seemed to be enclosed much like the place Link and he had fought the one killing the Great Deku Tree. It took a few minutes for the two boys to reach the bottom and shortly after they reached it, the stairs retracted into the wall disappeared.

Both Link and Marth were glancing around for any sign of danger coming towards them but saw none. Yet then came a pounding of objects coming down hard to the ground a distance away from the boys. Marth noticed that a part of the wall on the far side of the room open and a shadowy figure appearing behind the space opening. Marth jabbed an elbow into Link's side and pointed before he took a few steps to the right.

A large lizard that was a Dodongo came into the room and approached the two that had come into its lair. The creature was none other than King Dodongo, the biggest and most powerful of all Dodongos. The deal that Ganondorf had made about having the cavern for him and his fellow dodongos had been too good for King Dodongo to refuse. Ousting the Gorons had been simple and who else could challenge him for this territory? Plus, he was hungry, rocks and Gorons had lost their luster, something new would be nice. These two creatures that had come to his lair would due for the moment.

Marth and Link kept a distance from the giant dodongo coming towards them, it was bigger than the monster than they had fought inside of the Great Deku Tree. And with the scales that the dodongo had, brute force with weapons wouldn't work well if at all. Navi and Luka hovered next to their partner's ear as they looked at the giant monster approaching. "This is a huge Dodongo and probably eats anything it can get," Navi stated.

Luka nodded, "However, like most dodongo, you give them a shock to stun them and then finish them off with your sword. So the same is likely true with this one even if it is bigger than the others we have come across," she finished.

The two boys had much the same thoughts when their fairies said that this dodongo needed to be shocked. They had bombs and explosives, those could be used for shock but getting those to this dodongo in an effective way. Nevertheless, the two had little more time to think as King Dodongo sucked in air and then let loose a jet of fire in their directions. Marth and Link dove out of the way of the fire so they didn't get burned and rolled back to their feet. King Dodongo moved forward towards the two children to kill then and then he would eat them.

As King Dodongo faced Marth and Link again and began to suck in air, Marth had an idea on a possible way to get this monster to back off. He didn't say anything, just grabbed a bomb out of the bag Link had, snapped his fingers to summon a flame to light the fuse. Then Marth chucked the bomb and it was sucked down King Dodongo's throat as he was breathing in. The bomb shortly exploded which happened when the bomb got into the stomach of King Dodongo. The blast sent a shock through the dodongo's whole body and he dropped to the ground and started wheezing in pain.

Link and Marth didn't waste the opportunity just raced forward and began stabbing and slashing at King Dodongo. However, King Dodongo after a moment shook off the shock and rose to his feet now angry at what had just happened. Link and Marth backed up as their opponent got up and were making a safe distance away from King Dodongo. Yet, with Marth's actions, they now knew a way to combat this giant lizard and beat it given enough time.

King Dodongo faced the children and stomped his feet which caused rocks to fall from above. And where King Dodongo had no issue with the rocks that bounced off of him, Link and Marth had to dodge the falling stones and boulders. But once the rocks stopped falling, the standoff returned to what it had been before. Marth and Link waited for the chance to get a bomb to be inhaled to stun the lizard while avoiding attacks. And it didn't take long for King Dodongo to begin inhaling to breath fire, to which Link got a bomb out and chucked it and Marth lit the explosive in the air. The bomb went down King Dodongo's throat as the previous one did and set off a blast in his stomach causing him to go down to the ground. The boys rushed forward and started hitting King Dodongo over and over whether stabbing or slashing.

This pattern repeated a couple of times until King Dodongo's injuries got the better of him. All the stabbing and slashing had been too hard to ignore any longer and he tried to get away from his two attackers. However, he was so focused on that, King Dodongo went through the lava pool in the center of the room by accident. And where dodongo scales have heat resistance, they didn't do much for lava for long periods. It was when King Dodongo got to the middle of the lava that he realized his mistake and it was too late for him to correct it. All he could do was writhe in agony as he burned and boiled from the lava.

After the roars and screeches from King Dodongo died down, the room was a little dimmer as the lava dried up when the dodongo went into it. Yet there was still enough of a glow from the surrounding lava rock to give light to the room. Link and Marth looked at one another for a moment before they slowly crept forward to get a look at King Dodongo. There was silence other than the quiet bubbling of lava elsewhere and their boots hitting the rock floor. Both were being careful just in case King Dodongo was faking being dead to trick them.

Nevertheless, the two got close to what was left of King Dodongo and Marth tapped it and it crumbled into rocks and dust. "I would say that this monster is dead since the scales are crumbling," Marth remarked.

Link nodded in agreement to Marth's observation then noticed that there was a heart-shaped crystal just like after they had killed the creature that had been killing the Great Deku Tree. He tapped Marth's shoulder and pointed at the crystal which Marth instantly looked at, "Another one of those," he questioned. Marth's gaze flicked to the glowing blue circle that was nearby as well, "and also that blue circle just like before."

Marth himself was curious about the happenstance that was happening as it was pretty much identical to what happened with the Great Deku Tree. The heart crystal had weird though good effects before, this was still odd to Marth. Both he and Link approached the crystal, "You think it would work the same as before," Marth asked.

Link shrugged, "I don't know but maybe it will be," he replied.

The two boys grabbed the crystal and the same feeling of tiredness vanishing came to them and also extra energy enveloped them. The crystal shinned and then disappeared a moment later leaving Marth and Link feeling better than before. Marth shivered after the crystal vanished, "Wow," he exclaimed, "that feeling still is weird even if it is nice in a way. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it."

"No kidding," Link agreed. He turned to the blue circle, "So, that circle the way out like it was with the Great Deku Tree?"

Marth shrugged his shoulders, "I supposed so, the stairs haven't come back out so can't you use them to get out of this hole," he returned.

Both Link and Marth walked into the glowing circle and they felt their bodies floating for a moment before light engulfed them. The two reappeared outside in front of the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern before they touched the ground. It wasn't a moment later that there was a whistling behind and above them. Link and Marth turned just in time to see something large hit the ground in front of them. The object turned out to be none other than Darunia himself, "It's me Darunia," he announced, "Well done you two!"

Darunia patted both Marth and Link on a shoulder which to them felt like a heavy weight was being pounded onto their shoulders. It hurt quite a bit to have Darunia to "pat" them on the shoulder but thankfully he stopped after a moment. "Thanks to the both of you, we can once again eat the delicious rocks from Dodongo's Cavern until our stomachs burst," exclaimed Darunia.

As nice as it was to have helped the Gorons, the shoulders of Link and Marth didn't appreciate the thanks that Darunia showed them. "What a wild adventure this has been for you two, it will make an incredible story," Darunia remarked. "It's hard to believe that the Dodongos suddenly appeared in such great numbers, it is very odd. And then there was the big rock that blocked the cave itself. " Darunia paused for a moment, "All this trouble seems to be related to that Gerudo thief Ganondorf," Darunia mused, "It all came about after he came."

Marth was thinking about what Darunia was saying and agreed that there had been an odd chain of events. By what Darunia had said, the cave had been accessible until recently after someone had come for the Spiritual Stone of Fire. If that man was the same one that Zelda showed Link and Marth, then Marth felt that this wasn't the end of what Ganondorf would do. Darunia continued, "He said, give me the Spiritual Stone and only then will I open the cave for you."

Darunia then smiled as these two boys had gone above and beyond to help the Gorons. They had beaten the Dodongos back and made the cavern safe again to go and gather food. "However, you two on the other hand, risked your lives for us," Darunia exclaimed. Then Darunia had a thought, and it felt like a good one with these two as they had proven themselves to have the makings of Sworn Brothers. "I like the two of you, how's about you two become Sworn Brothers with me and the Gorons?"

Marth and Link looked at each other wondering what being a "Sworn Brother" of the Gorons involved. There was still one other Spiritual Stone to go and get, so having other responsibilities would not be helpful. Marth and Link were thinking much the same thing about not needing more responsibility. Nevertheless, their question was answered by Darunia, "There is no big ceremony involved, just take this as a token of our friendship."

Darunia held up his hands and between them a red light appeared and shined while getting bigger. But when the light died down there was a stone or jewel floating where the light had been. The jewel had a pentagon shaped gem that was red in color and was surrounded by gold on both sides and the bottom. Darunia then presented the stone to Link and Marth which was the Goron's Ruby or the Spiritual Stone of Fire. Marth took the jewel and put it in a pouch for safe keeping as Link had the Spiritual Stone of the Forest.

After accepting the stone, Darunia smiled, "Come brothers, let us send off out two new Sworn Brothers," he announced.

A few Gorons appeared seemingly out of nowhere and then began approaching Marth and Link with their arms stretched out. "You both did well brothers," said one. "Now we can send you off properly," added another.

Marth nor Link liked the way the Gorons were approaching them as the "pats" from Darunia had hurt and both were still sore from that. Marth believing the Gorons coming at them were not going to be gentle with them said what came to his mind, "Link run for it!"

Link listened to Marth and the two made a break for it down the trail towards Kakariko Village. The two didn't stop to look back to see if they were being followed, neither wanted to be hugged by a Goron.

Chapter end

**A/n **

**Okay, I'll stop there and pick up with the story next chapter. So, a few things to talk about, Dodongo's Cavern isn't laid out the same as it is in the game and I'll state this now, many of the temples will have different layouts. The run throughs will also be different to some extent as falling in real life from some of the heights that Link does would kill, so I'm adjusting things. Next, Marth gets different items in temples than Link will, the gloves are a good example. And for the Flame Gloves, for those that like anime, think of Full Metal Alchemist as the Flame gloves look like and work similar to Mustang's gloves. Please some take the time to review and tell me what you think about this story as it is one of the rare times I write in 3****rd**** person and not 1****st****.**


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